John Zorn, "Cat o' Nine Tails (Tex Avery Directs the Marqis de Sade)"-- General Thoughts

John Zorn’s, “Cat o’ Nine Tails (Tex Avery Directs the Marquis de Sade),” is a thirteen minute post-modern masterpiece on speed. Cut to pieces by San Francisco’s renowned Kronos Quartet, the piece begins with sawing scales that suddenly break into a perfect cartoon soundtrack—tentative hopping notes and sliding pratfalls. This comedic break, however, is suddenly interjected by strange brute sounds accompanied atonally. This luckily also only last a few seconds it is replaced by a quick foot-tapping bluegrass melody which again into something else. This cycle continues on for another 10 minutes, bouncing between the angriest, ear-wrenching noises to the most pleasing and elegant harmonies, then transforming into a slow waltz or a sultry jazz tune. Zorn’s ability to connect so many different sounds is admirable—as is the Kronos Quartet’s ability to create so many noises that sound so far from any kind of music on their instruments—unfortunately these things also make this piece grating, irritating and impossible to listen to.