Susana Behar : December 2013

About me..

My musical journey began in Havana, Cuba where I was born to a Cuban father and Cuban/Turkish mother. I grew up swayed by the sounds of the island's traditional music: Boleros, Cancion, Danzones…but I also listened to the faded Sephardic songs that my grandparents had brought from Turkey. Reminiscence of Spanish medieval music and Middle-eastern harmonies, the songs echoed the sorrows of exile, that of the Sephardic Jews who, barred from Spain by Isabella of Castille in 1492, went on to settle around the Ottoman Empire and the Mediterranean Sea, near and far, welcomed by exotic lands..

In 1967, exile again was to be faced. I, along with scores of Cubans, flew the island, in my case, to Caracas, Venezuela where an Eastern European Jewish community had emerged during and after World War II. In Caracas' overlapping Diasporas, all had music to remember. Music to unite one another, to celebrate life, to sing, to pray, to dance. Music to be happy. Music to be sad. All carried mixed sounds of Africa, of Europe, of the Middle East; all channeled the memories of evanescent coastlines, the fading impressions of these lands left hastily behind and were never to be returned to again. There I developed my passion for the music of my ancestors: the old Ladino language, the harmonies and the rhythms of the Baroque era that had traveled from the Kingdom of Spain all the way to the confines of the Ottoman Empire; but also the formidable richness of the music of Cuba and Latin-America, crossroads of cultural influences, innovations and traditions, anchored in modernity, accompanied by utopias and tragedies

My musical interests have taken me to participate in many projects, recitals and festivals, in Venezuela, the United States, Japan and Peru. Over the years , I have had the fortune of performing with many renowned musicians, among them, violinist Federico Britos, guitarists Jose Luis Rodriguez, Ryoji Yamaguchi, Federico Bonaccossa and Michel Gonzalez, cellist Ian Maksin, oudist and percussionist Joe Zeytoonian and percussionists Miriam Eli and Rajesh Bhandari. Currently, I am touring ‘Of Essence and Time’, a concert co created by guitarist and composer Jose Luis Rodriguez , choreographer and dancer Niurca Marquez and me. Also, I am presenting my trio work with Jose luis Rodriguez and Reza Filsofi (setar and percussion).

I invite you to visit my blog and leave your comments..hope you enjoy your visit..

Susana

Susana Behar

Sunday, December 22, 2013

SUSANA BEHAR - ADIO KERIDA

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