John Zorn
Bar Kokhba

Masada is a collection of about 200 pieces composed by musician John Zorn; it is an achievement that borders on the incredible, it seems impossible that one person in such a short time has succeeded in producing such an incredible number of pieces and of such quality. The fundamental idea of the project is to start from Jewish music scales and from there evolve a musical path that mirrors jazz.

The original lineup included John Zorn on alto sax, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on double bass, and Joey Baron on percussion; the compositions first appeared under the Japanese label DIW in a series of no less than 10 albums. The interpretation was quite free; the closest comparison I can think of, which is also very reductive, is Ornette Coleman playing in a Klezmer orchestra. This double album presents an arrangement for chamber orchestra of many of these pieces. The effect is to make the composer's compositional talent even more evident, which in previous versions was perhaps a little overshadowed by lengthy improvisations (also of excellent quality) that were at times a bit hard-core for those not used to free listening.

Among the compositions, Abidam, Mashav, Param, Bikkurim stand out. But in reality, it's just my opinion because each piece hides gems not immediately noticeable upon first listening. This album, unlike many others by Zorn, more or less follows the laws of traditional harmony and will also appeal to people not accustomed to listening to jazz or "avant-garde" music. The impression I had with this record is that of listening to a new Bach or a new Mozart reborn who, moreover, knows by heart practically every contemporary musical genre.

The musicians are naturally among the best on the New York scene, Marc Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello, Greg Cohen on double bass, Anthony Coleman on piano, Marc Ribot on guitar, and many more. For those unfamiliar with Masada, it is one of the best introductions, along with "The Circle Maker." And Masada is not just a songbook; it is practically a real genre that deserves a lot more notoriety than it currently has.