NOAM VAZANA TRIO (IL/NL)

After the expulsion of the Jews from what is now Spain at the end of the 15th century, Ladino became the language of the Jewish diaspora throughout the Mediterranean. For Noam Vazana, an Israeli singer living in the Netherlands, songs in this language are a return to her roots. Her haunting voice is often compared to Mercedes Sosa or Nina Simone. Timeless compositions translate the ancient ladino culture into a unique fusion of Middle Eastern music, North African rhythms and original ethnic-jazz. Her music bears a distant resemblance to flamenco, North African music and the traditional songs of Sephardic Jews. Vazana breathes life back into the old Moroccan language of ladino and lets it stand out in the context of current issues.

Of her performance at the Manchester Jazz Festival they wrote: "Nani's voice alone is mesmerising. Transparent and clear, powerful and precise. Filled with emotion, the rhythm of the marketplace, melodies of joy and heartbreak, stories of people who have had to leave their country."