I play the CD, the class faints
Elizabeth Lancaster | United States | 12/02/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I brought this CD to play excerpts to a graduate class in medieval Spanish literature and when they heard the song Arvoles yoran por luvias, some of the students had tears in their eyes, and almost every one of them went out and bought the CD. Etty Ben-Zaken's voice is one of the purest and most haunting that I have ever heard in my life. The liner notes offer a short bio of Etty's main source (her nona, or grandmother, Esther, who emigrated to Israel from Turkey) and the lyrics are transcribed in Ladino, English and Hebrew."
Truly amazing! - Hooked on Ladino now.
oodles | MI USA | 10/12/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I brought this cd at random, knowing nothing about it other than being familiar with one song on it, and listening to the Amazon clips. All I can say is WOW, this is amazing. And me too, I LOVE this woman's voice. You'd never guess looking at her picture on the cover that such an extraordinary deep and haunting voice would be coming out of her. Its got a certain quality in it that's very rare, and its like the other person said just haunting. It brought tears to my eyes too. Song songs are just haunting, and some really rock. So far the Dos Amantes (track 3) has been stuck in my head for hours. Looks like she's only got one cd out here, which is really a shame. I hope she makes more. If this is what Ladino sounds like I'm hooked.
"
Sheer delight
L. S. Copeland | Warwickshire, UK | 09/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As a newcomer to Ladino music, this selection was a shot in the dark for me. But I certainly got lucky! This is a sheer delight. I've never heard of the artists before now, but I shall certainly be on the lookout for more of their work. The tracks are musically varied, but give a hint of the vitality of the culture from which they sprang. The CD is accompanied by a helpful, well-written booklet to explain and translate the songs."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1
