Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » John Zorn: Tractatus Musico-Philosophicus

John Zorn: Tractatus Musico-Philosophicus

By Don Phipps
November 5, 2019
View read count

John Zorn

saxophone, alto
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">John Zorn begins his 38-minute musical treatise, Tractatus Musico-Philosophicus with a bitten reed while racing up and down the keys of his saxophone. What remains is some of the most interesting music in modern jazz—a wonderful treatise on the absurdity of life. Zorn wrote and plays all the instruments on this fascinating album—and the soundscapes he creates run the gamut from harsh confusion to mellow contemplation.

Zorn's collage of sound creates a bold and awakening listening experience. At times his keyboard playing can sound like

Paul Bley

piano
1932 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Bley, searching in the darkness for some form of intimacy. Voices arise in the background—like someone speaking to you in a dream. There are the occasional shrieks and utterances like "logical forms are without number," "belief in the causal nexus," or simply the letter "m." You can hear soldering. Crickets. Howls of some wolf. Heartbeats. The sound of vinyl spinning on a turntable. An organ that suggests a soap opera surprise. And, best of all, you get Zorn's wailing saxophone!

One certainly can be entertained by the novelty of this endeavor. But it goes much deeper. This is an assault on consciousness—a consciousness that remains grounded in the mundane effort of living in alienation. There is at times an expressed anger—as though Zorn is shaking his fist at what he sees around him. One can at times hear growls beneath an extended distorted guitar line—as though food is being devoured like a pig might eat slop. Birds tweet angrily—disturbed from their nesting into worry at some predator. Most unusual are the use of "game" calls—who else uses sounds elicited by tools that lure animals to their death?

In short, Tractatus Musico-Philosophicus represents another step in Zorn's evolving vocabulary—a vocabulary rich and suggestive, symbolic and surreal, sinister and absurd. It is as if he has left the world of music as we know it and is on his own personal trajectory. We the listeners are better off because of his journey.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Tractatus Musico-Philosophicus.

Personnel

John Zorn

saxophone, alto

John Zorn: Sax, Vocals, Fender Rhodes Piano, Prepared Piano, Guitar, Drums, Bass, Game Calls, Percussion, Objects, Samples.

Album information

Title: Tractatus Musico-Philosophicus | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Tzadik

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Remember Me, My Dear
< Previous

Alice's Wonderland
Next >

John Zorn Concerts

Sep 23 Tue

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

Sep 23 Tue

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

Sep 24 Wed

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

Sep 24 Wed

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

Sep 25 Thu

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

Sep 25 Thu

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

Sep 26 Fri

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

Sep 26 Fri

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet

Village Vanguard
New York, NY

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.