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Since her recording career began in 2002, the widely celebrated young Israeli singer Yasmin Levy has worked to integrate at least two seemingly disparate traditions: Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish music of Spain, and flamenco, the country’s passionate, amply practiced counterpart. On her new album, Sentir, her musical vision coheres perfectly. The result is that the two styles are indistinguishable from one another; rather, they form a distinct and original artistry that, delivered in her virtuosic singing voice, has garnered her considerable praise since the album was released in the UK and Europe last year. Four Quarters Entertainment will release Sentir Stateside on February 8.

Many of Britain’s most discerning and respected international music critics have lauded Sentir. The eminent journalist Chris Nickson calls it “a superb record from someone who’s become one of the world’s great singers.” Robin Denselow of The Guardian praises Levy’s “exquisite and passionate vocal style and bravely original musical mission.“ In London’s Sunday Times, Clive Davis deemed Sentir a “magical album” and a “mesmerizing accomplishment.” Reviews across Europe and in Turkey have been equally enthusiastic.

Having previously worked with Jerry Boys, Levy, for Sentir, teamed up with Javier Limón, co-producer of the tremendously successful Bebo & Cigala album Lágrimas Negras, another seamless fusion remarkable for its economy and nuance. This time, instead of mixing Spanish Gipsy and Afro-Cuban music, Limón helps Levy blend flamenco with a folk genre that dates back to the Jews’ expulsion from Spain in 1492. To be sure, Sentir draws a diversity of influences: She includes original contemporary material (by Limón, Levy and her brother Yuval), brings a Cuban jazz reimagining to the old Ladino song “Mi Korason” and finds a fresh way to arrange Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

An important factor in Levy’s life and musical direction has been the legacy of her father Yitzhak Levy, a cantor, musicologist and Ladino preservationist who died when she was just a year old, having spent his career documenting—in part by recording—the culture’s music. She honors him on Sentir not only by interpreting the Ladino songbook, but also by singing a duet with him, which she accomplished by dubbing in his vocals from a decades-old recording. Of the song, “Una Pastora” she says, “This is one of the most beautiful songs my father ever recorded. His singing is something holy for me, and I was afraid to touch it…until I realized that it was my own fears I needed to overcome.”

Thu 9 Feb 2012
Outremont Theatre
Montreal, Canada

Sat 11 Feb 2012
Toronto, ON Canada
Koerner Hall
w/ Omar Faruk

Sun 12 Feb 2012
Boston, MA
Berklee Performing Arts Center

Mon 13 Feb 2012
Hampton, VA
American Theater

Tue 14 Feb 2012
Bethesda, MD
Strathmore Music Center, w/Omar Faruk

Thu 16 Feb 2012
New York, NY
Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts
Pace Univ, w/Omar Faruk

Sat 18 Feb 2012
Atlanta, GA
Rialto Center for the Arts
w/Omar Faruk