Category: Spain

Carmen París & Nabyla Maan: Dos Medinas Blancas

February 19, 2018

If you had to choose one biography as a window to the splendor and diversity of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain), a good choice might be the scientist-philosopher-musician-poet Ibn Bâjja. Though much of his work was lost, his theories on astronomy and physics were preserved by Maimonides and Averroes, fellow polymaths who shared his fate—all outlived the age of coexistence and died in exile. The modern … More Carmen París & Nabyla Maan: Dos Medinas Blancas

Blaumut: Equilibri

January 29, 2018

In principle, a picture may be worth a thousand words, but in artful hands the ratio can change. Take, for example, Jack Vettriano’s painting “The Singing Butler”—showing an elegant couple, under servant-held umbrellas, dancing on a beach—which Blaumut lead singer and composer Xavi de la Iglesia brings to life as Vint-i-un botons (Twenty-one buttons), an equal-value, 240-word song, simultaneously tangible and surreal, narrated by the butler himself … More Blaumut: Equilibri

Mor Karbasi: Ojos de Novia

January 25, 2017

The Sephardic saga includes chapters of persecution and expulsion, but on her forth album the Israeli singer-songwriter Mor Karbasi (who has also lived in London and Seville) looks at her Jewish heritage from Spain and Morocco mostly through the prism of love. Ojos de Novia (Eyes of a Bride) embraces songs of romantic love (though sometimes involving disapproving or even warring parents), love of family, of God, of singing and of nature. This is an … More Mor Karbasi: Ojos de Novia

Ana Alcaide: Leyenda

November 28, 2016

Ana Alcaide has forged a personal Silk Route to distant lands and past epochs. Blending imported elements into her music, she has made the Swedish nyckelharpa part of her medieval Spanish repertoire; released two albums exploring the Sephardic experience; and fused sounds with Indonesian musicians. On Leyenda (Legend), her fifth album, Alcaide offers fables of women who devote earthly and magical powers to good and wise, sinister and sometimes tragic ends. Her silky, seductive … More Ana Alcaide: Leyenda

Ismael Serrano: La Llamada

May 1, 2016

Few artists juggle as many elements as the Spanish cantautor Ismael Serrano. First, there is the potent and cohesive mix of social comment and protest alongside songs of love and heartbreak. Then, his soft baritone, clear even when it’s just above a whisper, coupled with exquisite melodies and poetry crafted for his vocal gifts. La Llamada (The Call), his epic thirteenth studio album, offers a Latin American soundscape encompassing trova and bachata, ranchera … More Ismael Serrano: La Llamada

Tadusak: Bide luzea ternuarat

October 18, 2015

Basque whalers, sailors and fisherman dominated the seas around the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Nearly 500 years after those intrepid seamen rode the waves and plied the fishing channels, songs of their exploits and misfortunes echo across more tranquil broadcast waves and digital channels. Bide luzea ternuarat (Long Journey to Newfoundland) is an outstanding collection of traditional songs … More Tadusak: Bide luzea ternuarat

Alvaro Soler: Eterno Agosto

September 28, 2015

While summer headlines about Greek debt and the refugee crisis made it seem like Europe was coming apart, a throbbing, Latin-beat song about erasing borders became a smash hit across the continent. The song, El Mismo Sol (The Same Sun), is by Alvaro Soler, a half-Spanish, half-German, singer-songwriter, raised in Barcelona and Tokyo. His simple, catchy lyrics—“Let’s celebrate together, here we all are, under the same sun” … More Alvaro Soler: Eterno Agosto