IBN AL-KHATIB OF LOJA: Jadaka I-ghaithu • IBN QUZMAN OF CORDOBA: Yahnikum, Yahnikum • Masha s-sahar hayran • DON TODROS ABULAFIA OF CASTILE: Miyyah fi miyyah • IBN SAHL AL-ISRA’ILI: Hal dara zabyu I-hima • IBN SUHR OF SEVILLE: Ayyuha s-saqi • IBN BAJJA OF SARAGOSSA: Jarriri I-dheila • CANTIGA DE SANTA MARIA: Macar ome per folia • A Sennor que mui ben soube • Quen boa dona querra • TRAD: Por fol tenno quen na Virgen • Al pasar por Casablanca • Estampida • Como poden per sas culpas

“Thrilling and haunting … excellently sung.” — The Times

Islamic Spain from the 8th to the 15th century allowed a great flourishing of musical traditions. This multicultural haven gave us troubadour lyrics, canto hondo, flamenco, and the guitar—fashioned by the great Arab musician Ziryab, who added a fifth string to the lute. The critical innovation in song was the strophic (verse-form) song with refrain: the muwashshah written in classical Arabic and the zajal written in Andalusian dialect of Arabic. The texts are reproduced with translations in Arabic, Hebrew, and Spanish in the booklet.

Joglaresa embraces the extraordinary character of this spectacular music. The band is drawn from a group of musicians with both classical, world music, and jazz backgrounds. Leader Belinda Sykes provides a distinctive, virtuosic voice backed by a thorough knowledge of the idiom, history, and music of this period. The band, meanwhile, displays the boldness and improvisatory chutzpah that gets straight to the heart of medieval music!