Well, besides all of these groups having lived through and survived their own respective holocausts, they also recently shared a stage with Yasmin Levy, the Israeli-born internationally acclaimed Ladino singer, at Los Angeles' Skirball Cultural Center.
For those who are not familiar with Ladino, it is a language that was spoken by Sephardic Jews who fled Spain in 1492. It is in danger of extinction. During the evening's intimate performance, Levy sparked laughter and tears through her songs and stories that described the historical aspects of Ladino music.
The song set, which also included gypsy flamenco and Bedouin pieces, was beautifully interlaced with the haunting sound of the duduk, an Armenian instrument played by woodwind virtuoso, Vardan Hovanissian. In fact, the duduk-which has been incorporated in fusion bands in recent times-is rather a signature sound of Armenian folk songs that tell of the heartbreaking stories of the genocide of 1915. The shared presence of these three musical elements- Jewish, Gypsy, and Armenian-was a testament of global healing that can occur through the power of music.
With a soothing and healing voice, the sensual Levy continued to introduce each of her songs with a charming back story. To my delight, she had even adapted a Ladino song to the beat of solea por buleria (a style of gypsy flamenco song with a distinct hand clapping rhythm).
The gypsy in all of us came out that night. One could close their eyes and imagine Levy's evocative voice echoing through the hills of the Sacromonte in Granada, Spain, during the Inquisition. You could even perhaps channel your ancestors in the stillness of those moments between a sigh and a lyric sung a cappella.
Some of the more familiar songs sung by Yasmin:
La Rosa Enflorece (Ladino song also known as 'Los Bilbilicos') Naci En Alamo (featured in the gypsy/flamenco movie 'Vengo')
For those who are not familiar with Ladino, it is a language that was spoken by Sephardic Jews who fled Spain in 1492. It is in danger of extinction. During the evening's intimate performance, Levy sparked laughter and tears through her songs and stories that described the historical aspects of Ladino music.
The song set, which also included gypsy flamenco and Bedouin pieces, was beautifully interlaced with the haunting sound of the duduk, an Armenian instrument played by woodwind virtuoso, Vardan Hovanissian. In fact, the duduk-which has been incorporated in fusion bands in recent times-is rather a signature sound of Armenian folk songs that tell of the heartbreaking stories of the genocide of 1915. The shared presence of these three musical elements- Jewish, Gypsy, and Armenian-was a testament of global healing that can occur through the power of music.
With a soothing and healing voice, the sensual Levy continued to introduce each of her songs with a charming back story. To my delight, she had even adapted a Ladino song to the beat of solea por buleria (a style of gypsy flamenco song with a distinct hand clapping rhythm).
The gypsy in all of us came out that night. One could close their eyes and imagine Levy's evocative voice echoing through the hills of the Sacromonte in Granada, Spain, during the Inquisition. You could even perhaps channel your ancestors in the stillness of those moments between a sigh and a lyric sung a cappella.
Some of the more familiar songs sung by Yasmin:
La Rosa Enflorece (Ladino song also known as 'Los Bilbilicos') Naci En Alamo (featured in the gypsy/flamenco movie 'Vengo')
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