Sarah Aroeste is best known for her innovative fusion of Spanish, Mediterranean and American musical traditions. Inspired by her family's cultural heritage--with Sephardic family roots orginally from Spain and later settling in Salonika, Greece-- the Aroeste sound combines and updates aspects from her unique family background.

Most influenced by the music and language of her Spanish roots, Aroeste grounds her music in Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish, the language originated by Spanish Jews after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. This medieval dialect of Spanish was carried by Spanish Jews to the various points where they later settled, primarily along the Mediterranean coast and North Africa. In time, Ladino came to absorb bits and pieces of languages all along the Mediterranean coast, including some Greek, Turkish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Hebrew, and more.

This exotic pan-Mediterranean language has, unfortunately, been fading away and is rarely spoken anymore. But the musical legacy of Spanish Jews highlights the strength of an oral tradition that spans many centuries and crosses many geographic boundaries. Until WWII the vibrant Spanish Jewish communities, particularly throughout the Mediterranean, had been able to perpetuate a significant Hispanic influence throughout the region.

Following the War, many Sephardic Jews emigrated in large numbers to the U.S and Latin America, where their proud communities continue to retain a link, in many ways through music, with their medieval Spanish past.

American born, Aroeste wanted to ensure that this endangered Ladino culture would not be lost to new generations, so she formed the Sarah Aroeste Band in 2001 to revive this rich body of music. Her family's original Spanish-Greek name, Aroeste, or "of the West," truly reflects her style of music by combining traditional Mediterranean Sephardic sounds with contemporary influences of rock, funk, jazz and blues. Using traditional instruments such as oud and dumbek, alongside electric guitar, bass and drums, the Sarah Aroeste Band seeks to bring new life and energy to the beautiful and mysterious sounds of Sephardic music.

The band uses traditional Ladino folksongs in which most of the lyrics, although derived soon after the Spanish Inquisition over 500 years ago, could just as easily have been written today.  There are songs about family, first-love crushes, unrequited love, going off to war—all universal themes that transcend both generations and ethnic borders.  Taking this body of music and updating it with an inspiring modern sound, the Sarah Aroeste Band’s Ladino “Rock” style has helped to transform and revitalize a tradition.

Since the Sarah Aroeste Band was launched, Aroeste has amassed a large and loyal following across the nation and abroad, and has been featured in both national and international press.  To date, the Sarah Aroeste Band has released two recordings, A la Una: In the Beginning (2003) and Puertas (2007), and has performed in major music venues throughout New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and more, as well as overseas (throught Europe, Israel and Cuba). In 2006, Aroeste was nominated in the category of Best Singer/Songwriter for the Jewish Music Awards (USA), alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. The Sarah Aroeste Band has gotten notable attention both for the band’s musical talent as well as for Aroeste’s innovation in working to make Ladino music more accessible and exciting to new and larger audiences. 

Go take a listen for yourself... Sound Clips

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