FILM WORKS XV: PROTOCOLS OF ZION

Volume fifteen of John Zorn's ongoing Filmworks project was the soundtrack to a documentary by Marc Levin, about the spike in anti-Semitism after the 2001 Al-Qaeda suicide attacks. The film's title is of course a reference to the notorious (and totally bogus) early 20th century manifesto outlining a secret Jewish conspiracy to control the world, still in print today and - more amazingly - still regarded as gospel by undereducated bigots hoping to validate their own stupidity.

(A quick side note...I haven't seen the film yet, but the synopsis on the user-edited IMDB web site consists of a single word: "Propaganda", which only serves to underline the director's point.)

Musically it's a very simple album, with Zorn himself playing electric piano (a rare performance credit for the renowned composer and conductor), accompanied by discreet percussion accents and the occasional oud. Like many film scores it offers several variations of the same few themes, in this case a nervous little melody teased by Zorn from his oscillating piano and set to some understated, serpentine World Music grooves.

The mood is tense, appropriate to the subject, but at the same time surprisingly light on its toes, thanks to all the supple rhythms (Latin American, Middle Eastern) provided by longtime collaborator Cyro Baptista. Zorn is not above using a plastic Whirly Tube for seriocomic effect, or adding ironic subtext to the music with a twanging Jew's Harp, in effect providing unspoken commentary to Levin's screen thesis.

I'm awarding the effort three stars only because of its limited scope: the entire session might have been realized in a single afternoon, performed in real time while the movie was playing. But in truth the album is one of Zorn's more compelling accomplishments.