Aman Aman (L'ham De Foc) - Musica I Cants Sefardis D'orient I Occident

“Aman Aman” is a new project by the two leading members of the Catalan group L’Ham de Foc : multi-instrumentalist Efren Lopez and singer Mara Aranda. L’Ham de Foc are widely acclaimed for their 3 albums of traditional folk and early music. This new album is another remarkable example of how erudite musicological research can breathe fresh life into a tradition instead of reducing it to dry history. The tradition, in this case is of the Sephardic Jews, expelled from the Iberic Peninsula in 1492, and whose musical influence in the subsequent centuries, spread through the cultures of Greece, Turkey, Arabia, Bulgaria, and the whole Mediterranean area.

Efren & Mara were keen to examine any written traditions, 78 recordings or living folk versions, but not to become restrictively ‘purist’ in their interpretations - allowing the nomadic, eclectic nature of sephardic music to continue to develop in their hands. The were joined by L’Ham du Foc multi-instrumentalist Diego Lopez, and ney player Christos Barbas, who had guested on the “Cor de Porc” CD in 2005; other guest musicians play cello, kanun, lyre, double bass, guitars & assorted percussion. The material covers rembetikos, karsilamas, wedding songs, hymns, lullabies, romantic ballads, and instrumental dances.

Mara Aranda (voice, percussion) and Efrén López (laúd) are internationally known as being the main protagonists of the Spanish world music group L´Ham de Foc that mixes in a very unique way Mediterranean, oriental and medieval music. Their new project Aman Aman with Diego López (percussions), Abdelaziz Samsaoui (Qanun), Matthieu Saglio (Cello) and Christos Barbas (Ney) is dedicated in a very special way to the sephardic music. In some cases Aman Aman mixes the sephardic music with Turkish or Greek elements that have a strong relation to each other. The sound is based on (like it can be listed on all the field recordings) on string, wind and percussion instruments of the middle east (Qanun, Ud, Cúmbús, Baglama, Ney, Kaval, Darbuka, Rig, Bendir…) and is filled with the more current sound of the cello that is played like it is used in the modern orchestras in Magreb, Turkey or Egypt.

Biography
Aman Aman are a group of skilled world musicians and ethnomusicologists who came together to explore the traditional music of the Sephardi, the Jewish people of Spain. This mixture of Jewish heritage with Spanish language, customs, and music created a fascinating culture that is seldom recognized. Aman Aman formed as something of a L'Ham de Foc splinter group, drawing on many of the popular band's members. Aman Aman are comprised of Mara Aranda (voice/bender), Efrén López (oud, santur, lavta, etc.), Matthieu Saglio (cello), Diego López (bender, darbukah, riq, etc.), Aziz Sansaoui (qanun), Hristos Barbas (ney, kaval), and Eleni Kallimopoulou (politili lyra, bender). With a wealth of knowledge between them (many of the bandmembers teach music at the university level), the ensemble reproduces music from many Mediterranean countries, including Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, and Spain. The ensemble's premier recording was completed in 2007, and released by L'Ham de Foc's longtime label, Galileo Records. The release, entitled Musica i Cants Sefardis d'Orient i Occident, experienced much more success than expected for a disc that could be filed under "period music." The album spent three months in World Music Europe's Top 20. The group's niche character and large number of musicians prevented major touring. Nonetheless, Aman Aman made a number of appearances in places like Alacant, Carcaixent, and El Puig in the summer of 2007 in support of their debut release.
by All Music Guide

With this collection of Sephardic songs, Valencia-based group L’Ham du Foc’s side project Aman Aman come into their own. Aman Aman takes its name from an eastern Mediterranean expression meaning lovesickness, though it has different meanings stemming from the notion of surprise. The album is a vivid selection of exuberant songs from Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Morocco, dear to the hearts of a generation born around the end of the 19th century in Salonika, Istanbul and Izmir.