On the heels of Xaphan: Book of Angels Vol. 9 (well, preceding it, if you wanna get all chronological with the release dates) we have Lucifer: Book of Angels Vol. 10, the most well known of the fallen angels of which all previous volumes are titled. Presenting this latest group of John Zorn compositions is Bar Kokhba, an ensemble of some of the best musicians that music has to offer, period.
This is the first album in over ten years for the Bar Kokhba sextet. Their previous effort, The Circle Maker had the distinction of being one of the top sellers in the Tzadik catalog and, in this reviewer's humble opinion, one of the best if not the best release on the label. Ten years gone and the group hasn't lost a single note of the excellence they were known for. Marc Ribot is on fire here, adding a more laid-back surf-style throughout the compositions that compliments the overall tone surprisingly well. Joey Baron
Oh, Joey, you magnificent bastard. You never fail to inspire to practice drumming, then infuriate me eight minutes in, when I realize I will never in my wildest, psychotically delusional dreams, ever be a hundredth of the drummer you are. I love you, I hate you. But I digress
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Lucifer is exactly as its predecessors Hebrew-inspired compositions for the Masada: Book 2 songbook or "Book of Angels," part of the radical-Jewish-culture movement Zorn has been nurturing and cultivating for almost twenty years. Each release under the Masada subtitle has been pure and utter genius from day one and with Lucifer, the Bar Kokhba sextet has set the bar even higher still as a string-and-chamber music ensemble channeling the soul and passion of the Jewish faith for all us goyim to learn and appreciate.
