A la Una: In the Beginning
Album Translations & Credits
Lyrics & music:
traditional; Additional composition and arrangement: Yoel Ben-Simhon
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste;
Electric guitar: Alan Cohen; Oud: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Qanun: Hicham Chami;
Fretless bass: Emmanuel Mann; Darbuka & riqq: Yousif Sheronick; Drums &
darbuka: Vin Scialla
A la una yo naci At
one I was born
A las dos mÕengrandeci At
two I grew up
A las tres tomi amante At
three I took a lover
A las cuatro me cazi At
four I married into the world
Alma vida y corason. Soul,
life and heart.
Dime nina donde vienes Tell
me where do you come from
Que te quero conocer Because
I want to get to know you;
Si tu no tienes amante If
you have no lover
Yo te hare defender I
will defend you as mine
Alma vida y corason. Soul,
life and heart.
Yendome para la guerra Going
off into the world
Dos bezos al aire di I
throw kisses into the air
El uno es para mi madre One
is for my mother
Y el otro para ti. The
other is for you.
Alma vida y corason. Soul,
life and heart.
Lyrics & music:
traditional; Arrangement: Sarah Aroeste, Yoel Ben-Simhon, Alan Cohen
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste;
Electric guitar: Alan Cohen; Piano & vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Fretless
bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums: Vin Scialla
Arvoles lloran por lluvias, Trees
weep for rain,
Y montanas por aires And
mountains for air
Ansi lloran los mis ojos So
my eyes weep
Por ti querida Ōmante For
you, my love.
Chorus:
Torno y digo que va ser de mi I
cry out what will happen to me
En tierras ajenas yo me vo
morir. So
far away from you I will surely die.
Blanca sos, blanca vistes, Draped
in white,
Blanca la tu figura, Your
figure appears pure,
Blancas flores caen de ti, White
flowers fall forth
De la tu hermozura. Off
your beauty.
Ven veras, ven veras, Come
and you will see,
Ven y veras, veremos Come
and we will see together
En lÕamor que mos tenemos With
the love that we share
Ven mos aunaremos. Someday
we will be united.
Lyrics & music:
traditional; Additional composition and arrangement: Yoel Ben-Simhon
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste;
Classical guitar: Carlos Revollar; Electric guitar: Alan Cohen; Piano, acoustic
guitar & vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Fretless bass: Emmanuel Mann; shakers:
Yousif Sheronick; Drums: Vin Scialla
En el cafˇ del amanecer hay
luces de colores. At
the coffee house there were lots of lights
Ansina esta mi corazon
henchido ya de amores. Likewise
feels my heart bursting with love.
Agua de rosas te merki para
lavar tu cara I
brought rosewater to caress your face
y ansi podertela besar la
tadre y la manana. So
I could kiss it all daylong.
Hermosa sos en cantidad, ma
honestidad no tienes. You
are truly beautiful, but honesty you have not
Millones si me vas ha dar, mi
djente no te quere. Not
for millions will my family accept you.
Por la tu puerta vo pasar con
todos mis amigos; So
IÕll pass by your door with all my friends;
En tu ventana vo a posar, tanendo mandolino.
By your window IÕll play my guitar and think of you.
Lyrics & music:
traditional; Arrangement: Yoel Ben-Simhon
-Hija mia, mi querida, -My
daughter, my dear,
Te vo dar un hermozo. IÕll
set you up with a handsome man.
-No quero, padri, no quero. -No
father, I donÕt want him.
Que el hermozo, yo no lo
gozo. His
looks donÕt impress me.
No quero, padri, no quero. No
father I do not want him.
-Hija mia, mi querida, -My
daughter, my dear,
Te vo dar un alto. I
shall give you a tall man.
-No quero, padri, no quero. -No
father, I donÕt want him.
Que el es alto, yo no
lÕalcanzo. His
height doesnÕt matter if I canÕt even reach him.
No quero, padri, no quero. No,
I do not want him.
-Hija mia, mi querida, -My
daughter, my dear,
Te vo dar un tenyozo. I
shall give you a man with full hair.
-No quero, padri, no quero. -No
father, I donÕt want him
Que el tenyozo, no tiene
meoyo! His
hair makes no difference, if he has no brain underneath!
No quero, padri, no quero! No,
I do not want him!
-Hija mia, mi querida, -My
daughter, my dearest one,
Te vo dar un borracho!. I
give up! I shall give you a drunkard!
-Ya quero, padri, ya quero! -Yes,
father, heÕs the one I want!
Con el borracho, yo ya me
paso, With
the drunkard I shall be happy,
Ya quero, padri, ya quero! Yes,
he is the one I want!
5. Durme, Durme : As You Sleep
Lyrics & music:
traditional; Additional composition and arrangement: Yoel Ben-Simhon
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste;
Electric guitar: Alan Cohen; Piano & vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Fretless
bass: Emmanuel Mann; Frame drum: Yousif Sheronick; Drums: Vin Scialla
Durme durme hermoza donzella Sleep,
sleep beautiful one
Durme durme sin ansia y
dolor. Sleep
without worry or sorrow.
Que tu esclavo que tanto dezea Here
is your slave whose only desire is
Ver tu sueno con grande amor. To
watch over your sleep with the greatest of love
Hay los anos que sufre mi
alma As
time goes by my heart aches
Por ti joya mi linda dama. With
the love I have for you
Siente siente hermoza
donzella Listen,
listen my love
Siente hermoza mis males
cantar. Listen
to the song of my heartache.
Lyrics & music: traditional; Additional composition: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Arrangement: Sarah Aroeste, Yoel Ben-Simhon and Alan Cohen
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Electric guitar: Alan Cohen; Piano, leslie & vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Fretless bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums: Vin Scialla
Yo mÕenamori dÕun aire, I
fell in love with the charms,
DÕun aire duna mujer. The
charms of someone,
DÕuna mujer muy hermoza Of
a very beautiful one
Linda de mi corason. The
captor of my heart.
Yo mÕenamori de noche, I
fell in love when it was night,
El lunar ya mÕengano. The
moonlight was my undoing.
Si esto era de dia, If
only it had been daylight,
Yo no atava amor. Love
would not have bound me.
Si otra vez mÕenamoro If
again I fall in love
DÕun aire dÕuna mujer, With
someoneÕs charms,
DÕuna mujer muy hermoza Of
a very beautiful one,
Linda de mi corason. The
captor of my heart.
Sea de dia con sol It
will be by day with sunshine
Si otra vez mÕenamoro If
again I were to fall in love.
7. Adio Querida : Last
Goodbye
Lyrics & music:
traditional; Arrangement: Yoel Ben-Simhon, Alan Cohen
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Nay:
Bridget Robbins; Electric guitar: Alan Cohen; Piano & vocals: Yoel
Ben-Simhon; Fretless bass: Emmanuel Mann; Drums: Vin Scialla
Tu madre cuando te pario, Your
mother when she bore you,
Y te quito al mundo, And
gave you to the world,
Corason ella no te dio. She
gave you no heart
Para amar segundo. To
love anyone else.
Chorus:
Adio, Adio querida Good-bye,
Good-bye my love,
No quero la vida, I
don't want life
Me l'amargates tu. Since
you have embittered it.
Va, buxcate otro amor, Go,
look for another love,
Aharva otras puertas, Go
knock on other doors,
Aspera otro ardor Wait
for another burning love,
Que para mi sos muerta. As
for me, you are dead.
8. Noches : Sweet Nights
Lyrics & music:
traditional; Arrangement: Band
Vocals: Sarah Aroeste; Nay: Bridget Robbins; Electric guitar:
Alan Cohen; Piano, percussion & vocals: Yoel Ben-Simhon; Fretless bass:
Emmanuel Mann; Drums and electronic drums: Vin Scialla
Noches noches, buenas noches Night,
nights, sweet nights
Noches son dÕenamorar. Nights
for making love.
Ay que noches, la mi madre Oh
what nights, my mother
Que no son dÕarrivar. That
seem never to arrive.
Dando bueltas por la cama Tossing
in my bed
ComoÕl pexe en la mar. Like
a fish in the sea.
9. Hija Mia Remix
Engineer: Tomer 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:
Ladino, a medieval form of Spanish, is not only a language but also the symbol of a PeopleÕs culture that is slowly being forgotten. This mysterious language has its roots in a post-Inquisition era when displaced Jews took their native Spanish and combined it with bits of languages from lands along the Mediterranean where they later settled (Portugal, France, Morocco, Turkey, Greece, to name a few).
The songs on this album are all adapted from folksongs originating in the Mediterranean from the 15th century onwards, and express the everyday life and passions of a great community of people. Through 500 years of struggle and dispersion it is a miracle that this language and spirit has continued to retain a link, in many ways through music, with its medieval Hispanic past and continues to exist in small pockets throughout the world. In recent times, however, this sexy pan-Mediterranean language has, unfortunately, been fading away and is hardly spoken anymore.
As a tribute to my family and my past, I have been inspired to revive this body of music to make it more accessible to a wider audience. Growing up with this music as part of my Sephardic heritage, it continues to amaze me that the lyrics, most of which were written centuries ago, could just as easily have been written today. The same sentiments of coming of age, keeping a long-distance relationship alive, having a crush, blind-dating, breaking-up, being with a lover for the first time—these are universal themes that cross boundaries, cultures and eras. While preserving the original beauty of these songs, I have at the same time reinterpreted the music to fit my identity as both a Sephardic Jew, and also a young, modern American woman. It is my hope that combining this rich body of music with some more contemporary influences (rock, blues, funk and jazz) will help to give it new life and bring it to a larger audience.
This album is a tribute to the many people of my heritage who came before me, but it is also a promise to the future that this culture will live on.
Sarah Aroeste (2003)