Music and lyrics: Traditional; Arrangement: Sarah Aroeste, Yoel Ben-Simhon, Alan Cohen
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Oud, back-up vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Electric guitar: Yaron Eilam; Bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums, darbuka, riqq: Liron Peled
Los bilbilicos cantan The nightingales sing
Con sospiros de amor; With sighs of love;
Mi neshama y mi ventura My soul and my fate
Estan en tu poder. Are in your power.
La rosa enflorese The rose blooms
En el mes de mai; In the month of May;
Mi neshama sÕescurese My soul suffers
Sufriendo del amor. From loveÕs pain.
Mas presto ven palomba, Come more quickly, dove,
Mas presto ven con mi; More quickly come with me;
Mas presto ven querida, More quickly come, beloved,
Corre y salvame. Run and save me.
Music and lyrics: Traditional; Additional composition and arrangement: Yoel Ben-Simhon
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Oud, keyboard, back-up vocals: Yoel
Ben-Simhon; Electric guitar: Yaron Eilam; Cello: Ben Kalb; Bass: Emmanuel Mann;
Drums, darbuka, riqq: Liron Peled; Violin: Skye Steele
Avre tu puerta cerrada; Open your door;
Que en tu balcon luz no hay. On your balcony, there is no light.
El amor a ti te vela; My love will fly up to you;
Partemos mi flor, partemos de aqui. Come with me my flower, come away with me.
Yo demandi de la tu hermozura, I asked about your beauty,
Como te la dio el dio. The beauty god gave you.
La hermozura tuya es pura, It is pure,
La merezco solo yo. Only I deserve it.
3. Me Siento Alegre Yearn
For You
Music and lyrics: Traditional; Arrangement: Band
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Classical guitar, keyboard: Yoel Ben-Simhon;
Bendir: Randy Crafton; Electric guitar: Yaron Eilam; Cello: Ben Kalb; Bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums: Liron Peled; Violin: Skye Steele
Me siento alegre y muy contente, I am so happy and content,
No penso mas en el amor. I donÕt think of love any more.
Y lÕamor que a ti es muy potente, My love for you is so strong,
Me da courage, salvame dolor. It gives me courage and takes away pain.
La tuya gracia y hermozura, Your grace and beauty,
Tu lindo cuerpo y tu bivez, Your beautiful body and spirit,
A mi me rendes grande ventura, You give me great joy,
Deseo verte otra una vez. I want to see you again.
Por ti, querida, yo me desespero, For you, beloved, I yearn,
Por ti sola vo tresalir. For you alone excite me.
Fidelidades de ti espero I hope for your fidelity
Fin el dia que yo vo morir. Until the day I die.
4. Una Matica De Ruda Young
Lovers
Music and lyrics: Traditional; Arrangement: Sarah Aroeste, Yoel Ben-Simhon, Alan Cohen
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Oud: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Bongos: Randy Crafton; Electric guitar: Yaron Eilam; Bass: Emmanuel Mann; Darbukas, riqq, zils: Liron Peled; G-Clarinet: Harel Shachal
Una matica de ruda, A
sprig of rue,
Una matica de flor. A
flowering sprig.
Hija mia mi querida, My
dear daughter,
Dime a mi quien te la dio. Tell
me, who gave it to you.
Me la dio un mancevico A
young man gave it to me
Que de mi sÕenamoro. Who
fell in love with me.
Hija mia mi querida My
dear daughter
No tÕeches a la perdicion. Don't
fall into ruin.
Mas vale un mal marido It
is better to have a bad husband
Que un mancevo de amor. Than
a young lover.
Mancevo de amor, la mi madre A
young lover, mother
La mancana y el buen limon. Is
like a ripe apple and a sweet lemon.
Music and lyrics: Traditional; Arrangement: Sarah Aroeste, Yoel Ben-Simhon
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Acoustic guitar, back-up vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Electric guitar: Yaron Eilam; Trumpet: Frank London; Bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums, riqq: Liron Peled
Si la mar era de leche, If
the sea were made of milk,
Yo mÕharia un pexcador. I
would become a fisherman.
Pexcaria mis dolores, I
would fish my sorrows,
Con palabricas dÕamor. With
little words of love.
Si la mar era de leche, If
the sea were made of milk,
Yo mÕharia vendedor, I
would become a peddler,
Caminando y preguntando, Walking
and asking,
Donde sÕempesa lÕamor? Where
does love begin?
En la mar hay una torre, In
the sea there is a tower,
En la torre una ventana , In
the tower a window,
En la ventana una hija By
the window, a young lady
Que a los marineros llama. Who
calls out to the sailors.
Dame la mano, palomba, Give
me your hand, dove,
Para suvir a tu nido. To
climb up to your nest.
Maldicha que durmes sola, It
is a curse that you sleep alone,
Vengo a durmir contigo! I
am coming to sleep with you!
Music and lyrics: Traditional; Additional composition and arrangement: Yoel Ben-Simhon
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Piano, keyboard, back-up vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Riqq: Randy Crafton; Electric guitar: Yaron Eilam; Bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums, darbuka: Liron Peled
Una pastora yo ami, I
loved a shepherdess,
Una hija hermoza. A
beautiful girl.
De mi chiques yo lÕadori, From
my childhood I loved her,
Mas quÕella no ami. I loved no one else.
Un dia que estavamos One
day while we were
En la huerta asentados Sitting
in the garden
Le dixe yo: ÒPor ti mi flor, I
said to her: ÒFor you, my flower
Me muero de amor.Ó I
die of love.Ó
En los sus brasos me apreto, In
her arms she held me,
Con amor me bezo. With
love she kissed me.
Me respondio con dulsor: She
replied with sweetness:
ÒSos chico para amor.Ó ÒYou
are too young for love.Ó
MÕengrandeci y la buxqui; I
grew up and I searched for her;
Otro tomo y la pedri. She
had taken another and I had lost her.
Ella se olvido de mi She forgot of me
Ma siempre yo la ami. But I always loved her.
Music: Judy Frankel; Lyrics: Rita Gabbai-Simantov; Additional composition and arrangement: Yoel Ben-Simhon
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Classical guitar: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Shakers: Randy Crafton; Electric guitar, classical guitar: Yaron Eilam; Bass: Emmanuel Mann; Flamenco guitar: Dan Nadel; Drums, darbuka, riqq: Liron Peled
Me
acodro de mi nona, I
remember my grandmother,
Cada
viernes por la tadre, How
every Friday afternoon,
Como
le havlava siempre She
would always talk
A su
nuera, mi madre. To
her daughter-in-law, my mother.
ÒAide,
fija regalada, ÒCome,
precious daughter,
Quitate
el devantal. Take
off your apron,
Metete
vistido limpio, Put
on a clean dress,
Que
ya llega el Shabat.Ó For
the Sabbath is arriving.Ó
La
comida ya esta pronta, The
food is already,
Y la
mesa se metio, The
table is all set,
Las
candelas acendidas, The
candles have been lit,
Tu
famia ya entro. Your
family is here.
Music and lyrics: Traditional; Arrangement: Sarah Aroeste, Yoel Ben-Simhon
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Piano, keyboard, toy piano: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Electric guitar: Yaron Eilam; Bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums: Liron Peled
Povereta muchachika, Poor girl,
De que sufres del amor? Why do you suffer from love?
De que sufres en cadenas, Why do you suffer in chains,
En esta escura prizion? In this dark prison?
Ven te contare mi storia, Come listen to my story,
Lo que vengo a sufrir. For which I suffer.
Por un mancevico hermozo, It is because of a handsome boy,
Que por el me vo morir. That I am dying.
Asentada en mi ventana Sitting by the window
Lavrando el bastidor, Doing my sewing,
Haberico me truxeron They brought me the news
QuÕel mi amor se despozo! That my love was engaged!
En medio de la nochada In the middle of the night
A su espoza engani yo; I surprised his fiancee,;
LÕenfinqui cuchillo al lado I stabbed her in the side
Al punto cayo, murio. And at once, she was dead.
Music: Inspired by Mongo SantamariaÕs ÒAfro-BlueÓ; Lyrics: Sarah Aroeste; Arrangement: Sarah Aroeste, Alan Cohen, Band
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Oud, bendir, karakeb, palmas, back-up vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Electric guitar: Yaron Eilam; Bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums, darbuka, riqq: Liron Peled
Thessaloniki land I know
Monastir I cry you hello
Lift up my voice I call to you
Come to me now I long for you
Thessaloniki blue and gold
Monastir IÕm in your hold
Give me your song and cry it true
Come to me now I long for you
Thessaloniki, Monastir
Give me your hand and lead me there
Sing me your song and carry me through
Come to me now I long for you
10. Puertas Remix Engineer: Tamir Muskat
---------------------------
Produced by Sarah Aroeste, Frank London & Yoel Ben-Simhon
Musical Direction by Yoel Ben-Simhon
Recorded & Engineered by Randy Crafton and Sal Mormando;
Mixed by Randy Crafton and Sal Mormando at Kaleidoscope Sound, Union City, NJ
Remix edited at Vibromonk Studios, Brooklyn, NY
Mastered by Scott Hull at Scott Hull Mastering, New York, NY
Liner Notes Intro:
The word Òpuertas,Ó or doors, holds special symbolism in Sephardic culture. When Jewish families, like my own, were expelled from Spain in 1492, many took with them the keys to their houses in the hopes that one day soon they would be able to return to their ancestral homes. Some Sephardic families, now scattered around the world, claim that they still have these keys, having passed them down from generation to generation more than 500 years since they last closed their puertas and left their Spanish homes behind.
Although my family is not in possession of such a key, the thought of one continually guides and inspires me. The spiritual key to my family history has opened the door for me to a vast world of cultural and musical inspiration. In fact, the word ÒpuertasÓ has many meanings for me. Since our first album, A la Una: In the Beginning, many puertas have opened for the Sarah Aroeste Band. In that album, we explored the origins of my roots, and through our contemporary interpretation of traditional Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) music, we opened a new door to understanding this culture. In this second album, Puertas, we open the door even further and take a more assertive step in this cultural journey.
Inside Puertas you will hear daring uses of instrumentation, interpretation, and translation of mostly traditional Ladino songs. Through musical choices such as pairing the traditional oud with electric guitar, or using arrangements that highlight a more aggressive rock inspiration, one can hear a clear, bold combination of modern and traditional sounds. Like in A la Una: In the Beginning, this new album contains songs with universal themes such as young love, longing and heartache. Here, there are also songs about tradition, one of which I purposefully chose to write in English as a personal dedication to my cultural history. In ÒThessalonikiÓ (Track 9), I offer an ode to my ancestors who made this part of Greece their home after being forced to leave Spain in the 15th century. Although Thessaloniki did not support the Sephardic community on the eve of WWII (in fact, it actively turned against us), I dream of a time when a new door will open to a thriving and beautiful Thessaloniki, where flourishing communities of Jews, Muslims and Christians live together in harmony as they once did. I am indebted to my family who sacrificed and nurtured this rich Sephardic culture over many centuries, and opened their doors for me to share this music with you today.
But the music that lies inside this album simply represents my key, or interpretation, into this culture. There are obviously many other keys to unlock the puertas to Sephardic history. I have chosen the key that, for me, respects the tradition from which I come, but also opens an entryway for the future. So as I invite you with our title track, ÒAvre Tu PuertaÓ— come open your door. Use the key I am offering to open the door, and yourself, to what awaits behindÉ
Sarah Aroeste (2007)