Dreamy exotic chamber jazz, from the band who are pretty much the Tzadik All-Stars. Minus Zorn, that is. Lilin is the opening track from their 1998 debut, The Circle Maker , and while it may be non-threatening music, it's also full of the thrill of life. Bar Kokhba Sextet - Lilin (alternate download)
After years of being a PC poweruser I've bought a macbook and changed ranks a few weeks ago. I've since become an itunes user after ditching my ultimate music playing setup of winamp & copernic desktop search, and I can't say I'm happy at all. Seems the rating stars are the only welcomed addition and to commemorate this here are five 5 star tunes that I've picked for you, our dearest and most silent readers. Marc Ribot - Bataille Beggin' your Pardon Miss Joan - Sasquatch TV on [...]

Oy! Back from what seems to be the last vacation of this summer. Let's end the one week drought with one of the best albums of 2008, from the powerhouse sextet of the downtown scene (which I've been holding back since April). The second Masada songbook releases this year were impressive with fab albums from Bar Kokhba, Secret Chiefs 3 and finally Medeski Martin and Wood ! There's not much to say about Bar Kokhba; with an unsurpassed line up from the downtown contemporary jazz circle: the foundation of the original Masada line-up [...]