The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe
The Jazz of Physics
The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe
by Stephon Alexander
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.6/5 (479 reviews) | 3.6 on Goodreads (1,364 ratings) | NPR Best Books 2016
📚 Quick Facts
- Pages: 272
- Publisher: Basic Books
- Published: Dec 5, 2017
- Format: Paperback
- Price: $10.49
- Rank: #15 in Jazz Music
🎵 From Coltrane to the Cosmic Horizon
A spectacular musical and scientific journey from the Bronx to the cosmic horizon that reveals the astonishing links between jazz, science, Einstein, and Coltrane. More than fifty years ago, John Coltrane drew the twelve musical notes in a circle and connected them by straight lines, forming a five-pointed star. Inspired by Einstein, Coltrane put physics and geometry at the core of his music.
Physicist and jazz musician Stephon Alexander follows suit, using jazz to answer physics’ most vexing questions about the past and future of the universe. Following the great minds that first drew the links between music and physics—a list including Pythagoras, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, and Rakim—The Jazz of Physics reveals that the ancient poetic idea of the “Music of the Spheres,” taken seriously, clarifies confounding issues in physics. This book will fascinate and inspire anyone interested in the mysteries of our universe, music, and life itself.
💬 “Groundbreaking. Alexander illustrates his points with colorful examples, ranging from the Big Bang to the eye of a galactic hurricane. His rhapsodic excitement is infectious.”
— Wall Street Journal & Down Beat
✨ What Makes This Book Special
🎺
Unique Perspective
Written by both a theoretical physicist and jazz musician
📖
Part Memoir
From the Bronx to Brown University—an inspiring journey
🌌
Cutting-Edge Science
Modern cosmology explained through musical improvisation
🌠 Where Jazz Meets Physics
- 🎵 Coltrane’s geometry — Music as physics
- 🌌 Music of the Spheres — Ancient wisdom meets modern science
- ⚛️ Einstein & improvisation — Relativity through rhythm
- 🔊 Vibration & resonance — Universe’s fundamental structure
- 💫 Cosmological mysteries — Solved through sound patterns
- 🎼 Pythagoras to Rakim — Music’s mathematical roots
- 🌀 Galactic hurricanes — Cosmic rhythms explained
- 🎺 Jazz improvisation — Quantum mechanics in action
💭 What Readers Are Saying
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I’ll forever be grateful to musician/physicist Stephon Alexander. He’ll help you see how our awe-inspiring universe is on a never-ending, cosmological riff. Marvelous!”
— NPR, Best Books of 2016 & New Scientist
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Alexander gives an engaging account of his rise from humble beginnings. The connections he posits between jazz and physics are as interesting as they are marvelous.”
— Publishers Weekly
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“The book does an admirable job of bringing together modern jazz and modern physics. An intriguing comparison that certainly seems fresher than drawing analogies between classical music and classical physics.”
— Physics World
Discover the Universe’s Hidden Rhythm
Experience the astonishing links between Coltrane’s jazz and Einstein’s cosmos. NPR’s Best Books selection—where music and physics become one symphony.
📦 Free shipping available | ⭐ 4.6/5 stars from 479+ reviews | 🎵 NPR Best Books 2016
