Plainte - Chekoua - Lamentation / Épreuve - Mihna - Hardship

September 17, 2021 6:07 AM

Chris Silver (Gharamaphone): "In May 2020, I posted Sariza Cohen's stunning recording of 'أَشْكُوا الْغَـرَامَ' (Ashku al-gharam) [Soundcloud], released ... in 1938. This is the other side of that record [Soundcloud]. It is no less remarkable. Here the pianist and vocalist from Oran performs a composition by Algerian Jewish impresario Edmond Nathan Yafil." More on Yafil in "Breaking the Colonial Spell" by Jonathan Glasser, whose introductory anthro lecture "What is a Boundary Good For?" also reflects on Line Monty, Alice Fitoussi, and Salim Hilali. A detail connecting her to music trends in metropolitan France and the US is that Sariza Cohen's brothers operated the well-known Café des Ambassadeurs (producing a revue by Cole Porter) and Maxsa record label (helping popularize jazz etc.).
posted by Wobbuffet (2 comments total)

Surprisingly great for songs that aren't among the greatest 500 of all time. A much appreciated post for those of us happy to settle for less.
posted by gusottertrout at 8:46 AM on September 17, 2021 [3 favorites]

That first recording by Sariza Cohen is stunning. I must’ve listened to it twenty times today, and every time it feels utterly fresh. What an incredible musician!
posted by Kattullus at 2:11 PM on September 17, 2021 [2 favorites]