music of the sephardim

I've just "discovered" (for myself) the singer Yasmin Levy, who specialises in reviving (and adding to) the music of the Sephardim, i.e. the Jews who lived in Spain before the "reyes catolicos" cleared the country of all non-catholics in 1492.

Although I'm neither Spanish nor Jewish, nor 550 years old, I just love this music. It also has had some influence on the origins of flamenco, which I like too.

Yasmin Levy has a MySpace page with a few of her tracks and a new album out with Harmonia Mundi, which I'll check out pronto.

There was also a piece in the Guardian about her. The Guardian made a big fuss about Ladino being a distinct language that hardly anybody speaks any more -- but to me it sounds just like spanish with a bit of a weird accent.