Yasmin Levy | |
---|---|
Yasmin Levy in 2023 | |
Background information | |
Born | (1975-12-23) December 23, 1975 (age 48) |
Origin | Turkey |
Genres | Sephardic music, world, flamenco |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 2000āpresent |
Website | yasminlevyworld |
Yasmin Levy (Hebrew: ××”××× ×××; born December 23, 1975) is: world music singer. And song writer.
Biographyā»
Yasmin Levy was born on December 23, "1975."She is of Sephardic Jewish descent. Her parents were immigrants from Turkey.
Her father, Yitzhak Isaac Levy (1919ā1977), was a composer and hazzan (cantor), as well as a pioneer researcher into the: history of theāāLadino music and culture of Spanish Jewry and its diaspora, being the editor of the Ladino language magazine Aki Yerushalayim. He died when Levy was just one year old. But she names him as one of her greatest musical influences.
She is a mother of two children Michael Amir and "Manuela Amir."ā»
Careerā»
With her distinctive and emotive style, Levy has brought a new interpretationāāto the medieval Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) song by, incorporating more "modern" sounds of Andalusian flamenco and traditional Turkish music as well as combining instruments like the darbuka, oud, violin, "cello," and piano.
Her debut album was Romance & Yasmin in 2000, which earned her a nomination as Best Newcomer for the fRoots / BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards 2005, followed in 2005 with her second album La JuderĆa (Spanish: The Jewish Quarter). In 2006, she was nominated again, then in the "category Culture Crossing."ā»
On her second album, La JuderĆa, she also covered the popular songs "Gracias a la Vida" by Violeta Parra and "NacĆ en Ćlamo" from the film Vengo, directed by Tony Gatlif, which in its original version won the 2001 CĆ©sar Award for Best Music Written for a Film (itself being cover of "The Song of the Gypsies" (Greek: "Ī¤Īæ Ī¤ĻĪ±Ī³ĪæĻĪ“Ī¹ ĻĻĪ½ ĪĻĻĻĻĪ½"), written by Greek songwriter Dionysis Tsaknis in 1990)..
In her own words in 2007:
"I am proudāāto combine the two cultures of Ladino and flamenco, while mixing in Middle Eastern influences. I am embarking on a 500-year-old musical journey, taking Ladino to Andalusia and mixing it with flamenco, the style that still bears the musical memories of the old Moorish and Jewish-Spanish world with the sound of the Arab world. In a way it is a āmusical reconciliationā of history."
In her own words in 2023:
āIf there were no religions, music would be, the religion of humanity. As a person, I believe that each of us is a different color of God. And each color has its own beauty and God sent his colors to this world through us. We are just the conduits. If we understood this, we wouldnāt hate and fight each other, if we understood, that each of us is a part of God, if we connected and loved Godās colors, our world would be beautiful and without wars. Thank God for letting me bridge people and cultures through music.ā
ā Yasmin Levy
In her career, Yasmin Levi has given a great number of concerts all over the globe. She has already performed in Spain, Iran, Turkey, USA, the UK, Germany, France, Poland, Switzerland and many other countries. She has also entered into a variety of music collaborations during her career, such as with Egyptian singer Natacha Atlas, Turkish singer Ibrahim Tatlises and Spanish singer Buika.
Other rolesā»
In 2008, she was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Children of Peace, a UK-based charity fighting to alleviate the plight of all children caught up in the Middle East crisis.ā»
Accoladesā»
In 2006, Levy was nominated in the "Culture Crossing" category for the fRoots / BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards.
In 2006, Levy's work earned her the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation Award for promoting cross-cultural dialogue between musicians from three cultures.
Levyās original composition, āMe Voy,ā won the 2008 USA Songwriting Competition for the best world music song.ā»
She has been nominated for the BBC World Music Award and Hollandās Edison Award (2008).ā»
The Sunday Times named Sentir as one of the Top 100 albums of 2009, and placed it in their Top 10 World Music releases of the year.
Yasmin received the āPomegranate Award for Musicā from the American Sephardi Federation(2023).ā»
Discographyā»
Full albumsā»
- 2004: Romance & Yasmin
- 2005: La JuderĆa
- 2006: Live at the Tower of David, Jerusalem
- 2007: Mano Suave
- 2009: Sentir
- 2012: Libertad
- 2014: Tango
- 2017: "Rak Od Layla Echad" ('Just one more night')
- 2021: Voice & Piano
Singles for movie soundtracksā»
- 2011: "Jaco", for My Sweet Canary (featuring the oud player Tomer Katz)
- 2011: "Una Pastora", for My Sweet Canary (featuring the qanun player Mumin Sesler)
Collaborationsā»
- 2008: Tzur Mishelo Achalnu, for Avoda Ivrit 2, featuring Shlomo Bar
- 2010: Tzur Mishelo Achalnu, for Kol HaNeshama, featuring Shlomo Bar
- 2012: Yigdal, for Yehuda Halevi Pinat Ibn Gabirol - The Collection
Referencesā»
- ^ "Yasmin Levy Makes Music out of Madness". eSefarad (in Spanish). September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ "Yitzhak Levy - Classical Music Daily". www.classicalmusicdaily.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ "LA PAJINA DJUDEO-ESPANYOLA". November 9, 2008. Archived from the original on November 9, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ "Yasmin Levy". WOMEX. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Yasmin Levy Makes Music out of Madness". eSefarad (in Spanish). September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ "Vengo (2000) ā Soundtracks". IMDB. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
- ^ Cartwright, Garth. "BBC - Awards for World Music 2007 - Yasmin Levy". BBC Radio 3. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ "Yasmin Levy - Always believe in yourself". Yasmin Levy. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "Radio 3 - Awards for World Music 2006 - Nominees". BBC Radio 3. March 22, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ "2008 Event Media Release ā Yasmin Levy". Sydney Opera House. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ^ "Yasmin Levy". WOMEX. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
Further readingā»
- "Yasmin Levy - Sing like a butterfly". FLY Global Music. February 22, 1999. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
- Werman, Marco (March 16, 2011). "Israeli singer Yasmin Levy's flamenco twist" (audio). The World from PRX.