1920s:

2015:

A malhoun, a Judeo-Moroccan melodic poem in Arabic here performed by singer Neta Elkayam with the Jerusalem Orchestra East and West. This malhun was first made famous in a recording in the early 1920s by the ‘Queen of Malhoune’ Sheikah Zohra El Fassiya. It is interesting to compare both of these versions and recognize many of the similarities in the performance practice. The alternation between soloist and ensemble exchanging phrases, the ‘call and response’ between the solo female voice and the male instrumentalists (who also often sing back the responses). Elkayam is clearly influenced both by the vocal timbre and ornamentation of El Fassia. Violins figure prominently in both recordings. The contemporary version involves an epic, jazz-inflected ‘world music’ orchestral arrangement by Amit Hai Cohen and Tom Cohen, which employs a larger orchestra of both western string instruments and traditional instruments such as neys, ouds, and kanuns. The version from the 1920s appears to feature smaller forces, with one solo violin heard prominently in conversation with El Fassia, alongside other supporting traditional instruments. Both versions are highly rhythmic, with a repeated clapping pattern heard in the 1920s version, and a constant percussion accompaniment heard alongside Elkayam’s vocals. She joins on a handdrum during the instrumental interventions in this exhilerating and impassioned performance.