This two-disc release captures beautiful and refined music that makes full use of two ensembles' extraordinary musicianship. Drawing from
John Zorn's
Masada songbook are
the Masada String Trio and
the Bar Kokhba Sextet. Each ensemble fills one CD with beautiful
chamber jazz woven around a heart of
Jewish melodies.
Zorn skeptics will find the superb and elegant music on
The Circle Maker surprisingly stable and accessible. This is a fitting successor to the other
Masada works that
Zorn doesn't actually perform on -- the first
Masada chamber project,
Bar Kokhba, and
Film Works, Vol. 8, whose recording session wrapped up weeks before this weekend date of December 1997. Issachar is the name of the disc on which bassist
Greg Cohen, cellist
Erik Friedlander, and violinist
Mark Feldman perform. Zevulun features
the Bar Kokhba Sextet:
the Masada String Trio plus drummer
Joey Baron, percussionist
Cyro Baptista, and guitarist
Marc Ribot. All of these musicians are accomplished in
jazz and improvised music, and have performed extensively in
world and/or
classical settings as well.
The Circle Maker is a very necessary recording for all appreciators of
chamber jazz, new
Jewish music, or any of these stellar musicians. ~ Joslyn Layne
![A Winter's Solstice [2001]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0886977153327_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "A Winter's Solstice [2001]")
