Full description not available
E**H
Amazing
No words... just straight to heart. Kayah, keep looking for inspiration! Next I wish you to go to Black Africa!
S**S
Beauty with tahini flavour
Rich, colourful, offers nearly physical indulgence. This music allures, comforts and fascinates. Like a spiritual voyage to the outskirts of Jordan, Jerusalem and Beirut. Reaches as far as the oldest civilisations and as deep as the sorrows of the Holocaust. Warszawo Ma brings tears to the driest eyes. This little song has a compelling power concealed in its simplicity. Power to ask questions which us, Poles are still hesitant to ask. How many times can Kayah be at her best? No end...
P**K
A true masterpiece!!
TRANSORIENTAL ORCHESTRA is Kayah’s 12th album since her self-titled debut in 1988. She is one of the most acclaimed and successful Polish artists, born in Warsaw, Poland. During her career she has collaborated with many local and international artists, including Goran Bregovic and Cesaria Evora.In 2012 she was invited to sing at the 10th edition of the Jewish Culture Festival: Singer’s Warsaw. As an outcome of this positive experience, she has decided to invite Atanas Valkov to revisit with her the genre of the World Music scene again. The outcome of their project are these wonderfully performed and arranged eleven songs. TRANSORIENTAL ORCHESTRA is a colourful synergy of Slavic, Balkan and Persian sounds. This is a fusion of a traditional, ethno-jazz, electronic and movie music, inspired by the Jewish culture from various regions of Europe and the Middle East. Kayah sings in Polish, Ladino, Hebrew, Arabic and Yiddish.TRANSORIENTAL ORCHESTRA is rich, colourful, exciting, moving, sad, uplifting and unique at the same time. But most importantly this album is REAL. Although it is not sung in English, do give it a go and you will hold it in your heart for the rest of your life. A true masterpiece.KONDJA MIA, KONDJA MIAThe album opens with a tune from Iberian Peninsula and sung in Judeo-Spanish, which is a Spanish dialect based on old Spanish language spoken by Sephardic Jews widely in the 15th century. The Jews were banished from Iberian Peninsula at the end of 1490s and subsequently relocated to England, Holland, Italy and Turkey. They kept their language and nowadays around 200,000 people still practice Judeo-Spanish, mainly in Israel.Rose of Mine, Rose of Mine (Kondja Mia, Konda Mia).The flower in my hair.Total eclipse of the Moon.The sea brings me no joy anymore.Hey girl, speak to me in the language of love.I’m burning!Great arrangement by Atanas Valkov and Kayah, starting with a Tibetan Buddhist Monks’ mantra and hardly any other instrument but Kayah’s captivating voice. The dramatic beginning is followed by a drum-trans-like-explosion, which continues until the end of the song, whereby the last word is left to the Monks again. This song takes the listener right to the world of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, tremendously moving.AMAN MINUSHLove is by far the most commonly chosen topic in the Sephardi Jews’ musical history. Aman Minush talks about the power of devotion and fidelity, which simply can never be broken, even by the seducing powers of a mermaid. According to many legends, these beautiful sea creatures often toyed with the sailors, leaving them eventually in an eternal heartache. But when the heart of a lover belongs to another, not even the hardest work of seduction could break the spell of their love. Nothing can break the powerful chains of true love.Close your eyes and watch how the above scene unfolds in front of your eyes. Kayah’s voice is seductive, sultry and quite irresistible. Another ‘rich’ arrangement, with a fantastic ending – chanting accompanied by a very modern drum and bass sequence.DE EDAD DE KINZE ANYOSSince I was fifteen (DE EDAD DE KINZE ANYOS) tells the story of a young girl who is head over heals in love with a thieving gambler. Crazily in love, she is driven to offer him even a bigger fortune, secretly hoping for his everlasting devotion in return.This is a very popular Sephardi Jews’ composition, which has been re-interpreted by many others, including some of the Arabic Ensembles. A traditional tune passed between generations, adapting accordingly to suit their times and traditions.The song starts with Kayah’s voice and acoustic guitar, then picks it up and turns into a wonderfully jolly, dynamic and inviting to dance song. A superbly timeless delivery and arrangements makes it again very appropriate for our times.LAMMA BADAThe origin of LAMMA BADA goes back to the 12th century and Spanish Andalusia, sung in Arabic but with hearable Moroccan influences. It’s an ode to a beautiful woman, and her perfectly mastered movements. Originally and most likely performed by a male singer on a mission to win the heart of this female beauty.Quite a complicated structure of this tune due to an incorporating of sama’l thaqil, a 10/8 rhythmic baseline characteristic of Sephardi Jews living in Spanish Andalusia.HAVA NAGILABy far the most popular and recognise song of a Jewish tradition and culture. The lyrics was written on the basis of Psalm 118:24 of the Tanakh, the canon of the Hebrew Bible. Over the centuries, it has been sung as a Nigun, a form of Jewish religious tune sung by groups. Unfortunately, the original lyrics have not been preserved in full anymore. In 1918 Abraham Zevi Idelsohn has re-written the words, and after his death, Moshe Natanson has confirmed modifying them too.The message of this tune has survived and talks about the joyous powers of unity and togetherness. Another great delivery which invites the listener to get up, grab a nearby partner and dance together in the middle of the room. A fantastic use of a whistle and children’s rumble at the end of the song.EL ELIYAHUMost likely written by 12th century poet, mathematician and philosopher Ibrahim Aben Ezra. EL ELIYAH is being sung during Havdalah, which is a Jewish religious ceremony marking the symbolic end of Sabbat and Jewish holidays. The ritual involves lighting a special havdalah candle with several wicks, blessing a cup of wine and smelling sweet spices. The purpose of a Sabbat is to convince the Messiah to descend on Earth and therefore guarantee an eternal Sabbat. EL ELIYAH is also a religious song connecting the singer with the Almighty. Fantastic drums by Tomek Torres as well as background arrangements by Paco Sarr.TRANSORIENTALThe lyrics have been written by Atanas Valkov, a music producer of TRANSORIENTAL ORCHESTRA. The tune sounds extremely mystically with Kayah reciting Ana BeKoach, an ancient prayer in Aramaic, the common language of Judea in the 1st century, most likely used by Jesus Christ. It is known as the 42-letter Name of God, a unique formula built of 42 letters in seven sentences of six words each. Each of the seven sentences corresponds to the seven days of the week, seven specific angels, and to a particular heavenly body. The letters making Ana BeKoach are encoded within the first 42 letters of the Book of Genesis.Although almost 2,000 years old, this version sounds extremely current and relevant. Captivating vocals by Jahiar Azim Irani.AJDE JANOThis song is a yearning for the return of the good old days of simple and very plain way of going about the life. It urges to abandon the rat race and stop gathering earthy possession. It emphasises the beauty and happiness of simple life existence.AJDE JANO comes from the 14th century Servia or Republic of Macedonia and Jewish population scattered within these territories.The lead vocals have been sung by Iwona Zasuwa and Jahiar Azim Irani. Marcin Wieczorek performed on all accordion parts.REBEKAKayah finally reaches Eastern Europe and the world of Ashkenazi Jews, incorporating musical motives of Balkans. She sings this version in Polish, her native language. REBEKA is a Polish tango composed by Kazimierz Bialostocki and Andrzej Wlast. The song talks about a young girl, a victim of the love at the first sight syndrome, who dreams about ‘the one’ but is too shy to tell him how she feels.JIDISZE MAMEAshkenazi Jews resided within the Eastern, Middle and some parts of a Western Europe. During the Renaissance period, those living within the German Empire spoke mainly in German, but work hard on adding some of the Hebrew words to their day-to-day language. Throughout their eternal travels around the world, they picked up some of the local words, and therefore had grown also their own language. All of this had led to creation of Yiddish, a High German language of Ashkenazi Jews.JIDISZE MAME was written by Lew Pollack and Willie Howard and after 1928 has become an international smash-hit, performed by Neil Sedaka, Tom Jonas or Nino Bravo. This song is an ode to a mother, who holds a very special status in the Jewish tradition. The piano, Kayah’s voice and an old-vinyl-like-sound at the beginning of the song, take the listener right into the middle of the war, and some rather smoky little German nightclub. The second part is jazzier, contemporary but equally as entrancing.WARSZAWO MAWarsaw, My…. Written by Andrzej Wlast and Kazimierz Jerzy Oberfeld, who lost his life in January 1945 on his way to Auschwitz. It is a song about a city battered by the war, ruined by violence and murder. War-saw, Polish capital of human tragedy and sadness, with ‘war’ in its name. Kayah’s delivery is extremely moving and touching. She dramatically channels all of those who were brutally robbed of their goods and eventually killed. It’s a perfect choice for closing her transoriental Jewish journey.Will I ever see you again…Warsaw, My…PAVJEDRUSIAK.COM
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