Bar Kokhba Sextet

The Profile

Bar Kokhba Sextet is a chamber ensemble led by John Zorn, featuring Marc Ribot (guitar), Mark Feldman (violin), Erik Friedlander (cello), Greg Cohen (bass), Cyro Baptista (percussion), and Joey Baron (drums). Emerging in the mid-1990s, the group interprets Zorn’s Masada songbook with a blend of avant‑garde jazz, klezmer inflections, and cinematic grooves on the Tzadik label.

Lineup documented in the review: Ribot, Feldman, Friedlander, Cohen, Baron, Baptista; associated with John Zorn’s Book of Angels series on Tzadik; studio releases span the late 1990s to 2008.

One in-depth review tackles Bar Kokhba Sextet’s Lucifer: Book Of Angels Vol. 10 with kabbalistic framing and keen track commentary. The writing praises standout cuts like Zazel and Gediel, highlights solos by Ribot, Feldman, Friedlander, Cohen, Baron and Baptista, and questions a drift toward accessibility. Overall tone: appreciative yet critical.