John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, producer and dedicated improviser that deliberately resists category. Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jazz, rock, hardcore, classical, contemporary, surf, metal, soundtrack, ambient, and world music. In 2013, Down Beat described Zorn as "one of our most important composers" and in 2020 Rolling Stone noted "Though Zorn has operated almost entirely outside the mainstream, he’s gradually asserted himself as one of the most influential musicians of our time".
Zorn entered New York City's downtown music scene in the mid-1970s, collaborating with improvising artists while developing new methods of composing experimental music. Over the next decade he worked internationally with European and Japanese musicians releasing several albums on independent US and European labels. He attracted acclaim with The Big Gundown, an album reworking the compositions of Ennio Morricone in 1986 and Spillane (1987) featuring collage-like experimental compositions. Spy vs Spy (1989) and Naked City released in 1990 both demonstrated Zorn's ability to merge and blend musical styles in new and challenging formats.
After living between Japan and the US for several years, he returned to Lower East Side Manhattan permanently where he established his record label, Tzadik, in 1995. Tzadik enabled Zorn to maintain independence from the mainstream music industry and ensured the continued availability of his growing catalog of recordings. He prolifically recorded and released new material for the label, issuing several new albums each year, in addition to releasing recordings by many other musicians.
Zorn has led the bands Naked City, Painkiller, and Masada and conducts a variety of ensembles such as those related to his Masada Books, Moonchild and Simulcrum projects. He has composed concert music for classical ensembles and orchestras, and produced music for opera, sound installations, film and documentary. He has toured Europe, Asia, and the Middle East extensively, usually featuring at festivals with musicians and ensembles that perform his diverse repertoire.