Mor Karbasi

Biography

Mor Karbasi
 
Born 1986-04-23, Jerusalem
 
Mor Karbasi burst onto the global world music scene in 2008 with the release of her first album, and has continued to capture audiences internationally with her gorgeous, exceptional voice and looks to match. She was born April 23, 1986 in Jerusalem, to a mother from Nazareth of Moroccan descent and a father from Jerusalem of Persian (Iranian) ancestry. Mor is a young woman whose music is influenced by several cultures, though mainly by her Jewish heritage. A child with parents like hers no doubt carries a great deal of cultural richness. As already mentioned, with Jewish influences, but also Persian, Moroccan, Spanish and of course Israeli. All of which is discernable in her outward appearance, but also in her lovely, effervescent music and many stories. Mor’s biography might very well read like a novel by Isabel Allende where history, magic, joy and hard reality are all interwoven. A story that is told by her music, in which you are taken on a journey around the Mediterranean, to Morocco and her native Israel, to an age and civilization that is long gone, and yet still in the here and now. Mor’s first album ‘Beauty and the Sea’ received rave reviews. She was immediately ranked alongside such globally renowned singers as Mariza and Estrella Morente- A splendid comparison, but one that does not describe her unique style of singing and compositions that breathe new life into an ancient language. Karbasi has already performed in several countries: Italy, Great Britain, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, Spain, France, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey and Morocco as well as the United States and South America, always to great popular acclaim.

Roots

All her influences come together in her predominately Sephardic Jewish repertoire: from traditional Jewish songs, to her own contemporary compositions.

Jews were forced to leave Spain in the 15th century, as a result of the Catholic unification of the two main Spanish Kingdoms, and defeat and expulsion of the Moors.

“Spain lost something great when they expelled the Jews and Muslims. They lost culture, wisdom, knowledge, joy, and life. I feel that with the departure of those people, Spain has changed forever and can never be whole again- it’s a bit haunted. That feeling was especially apparent when I visited Toledo. It is such a beautiful place that it took my breath away. But there was an empty feeling – there was a magnificent Jewish community in Toledo. That is why the absence of those people felt so present to me”

The Jews that left Spain spread out all over the world, taking the Spanish language of the time, and continued to speak it in their closed communities. This interspersed with some Hebrew, and words of various Mediterranean languages created a Judeo-Spanish tongue called Ladino. This language has almost died out… yet Mor sings for a wide audience in Ladino, Hebrew and Spanish. She says “to me Ladino is the most beautiful, melodic and magical language I can imagine. I hope to bring its richness to many people. I feel it is my mission to convey the power of those 500 year old melodies and lyrics. Ladino is a language full of vitality – and as far as I’m concerned – It is a perfect vehicle to express every aspect of being a woman.”

Karbasi was exposed to music at an early age, by her mother. She would sing Moroccan piyuttim (Jewish holy poems written in Hebrew, composed to Arabian scales and melodies) and Jewish ballads from Andalusia as lullabies. Mor was literally fed these magical songs and melodies with her mother’s milk, in keeping with the centuries old tradition of orally transmitting these songs from mother to daughter. Her mother Shoshana remains a constant source of inspiration for her to this day, and contributes her stories and poems to the albums. Mor’s great grandmother was a ‘mekonenet’, a woman chosen by the congregation to sing laments to mourn the dead during funeral ceremonies, and her great grandfather was known in Morocco as prominent rabbi, a very wise man, with a great knowledge of the Torah and of the Kabbalah. He blessed and helped many people in his day.

“We always joke in the family of how I am as if the son my grandfather never had. I was the only one who took interest in piyuttim, his Moroccan heritage”.

He is enormously proud of his granddaughter. “He too is one of my greatest sources of inspiration: he hums all day long – ever since I can remember – old poems and melodies. I always sang duets with my granddad, and the bond connecting the generations grew ever stronger. The moment I started singing Piyuttim and exploring more and more of the Sephardi repertoire, everything fell into place – my love for and deep connection with the Jewish faith and my love for Spain and Morocco. I feel a profound connection to my roots.”

In Mor’s music you can hear the unmistakable influences of both flamenco and fado.

Musical influences include such great talents as Um Kulthum, Amalia Rodrigues, Madre Deus, and Mercedes Sosa, and legendary flamenco singers such as Manuel Vallejo, Pepe Marchena, Juanito Valderrama and Niña de los Peines, and many others.

Mor started writing her own material, in the spirit of the Sephardi repertoire in order to revive it and as a way to search for her own voice.

The catalyst for this creative process was a chance meeting with a special young guitarist called Joe Taylor, in a small town where the desert meets the red sea – Dahab in the Sinai.

About meeting Joe she says: “I was walking along by the sea one evening when suddenly I heard the sound of a guitar. This was quite unusual in a place like Dahab so of course I wanted to see where it was coming from… and there was an English boy attached to the guitar! I sat there, in a candle lit cafe by the water and sang along to what he played, and from that moment our special musical connection began.”

They continued to keep in touch and eventually decided to be together.

By the time Mor actually moved to London to be with Joe, they had written several songs together, Many of them were written over the phone.

Apart from being musically connected, they are also partners in life.

“It is a great story to tell the grandchildren”, she laughs!

 

Where is home?

Mor was born in Jerusalem. “If God was to have a house, then that house would be in Jerusalem.”

I believe without my home city’s colours, diversity of cultures, its scents and climate I would have grown to be a different person. Something magical hangs in the air during Shabbat. I didn’t realize how much I would miss it, but I really do.” That longing can be heard in a number of her songs.

Once she had taken the step of leaving her home and settling in London, her musical ambitions blossomed and her past became her future.

London gave Mor the opportunity to meet and collaborate with some extraordinary musicians, (particularly Jorge Bravo and Fred Thomas) develop songs, and set up a group. She recorded 2 albums, first being “The Beauty and the Sea” and the latest one being “Daughter of the Spring” (released worldwide April 2011 on Harmonia Mundi).

However, after 5 years in London, it was time for a change, a new inspiration, and Seville, in southern Spain was the destination.

“Somehow it has always been clear to me that I would live in Spain at some point… When I arrived in Sevilla airport for the first time, I had a strong feeling that I arrived home, a feeling that I never felt anywhere else – not even in my beloved Israel. I walk often in the ‘Juderia’, the old Jewish quarter (today called Barrio de Santa Cruz), my heart beats fast, and I often myself overcome with emotion.”

Spain has a very big influence on Mor’s music and vision. In the short time living there she has already performed and collaborated with some of Spain’s big flamenco names including the dancers Andrés Marin and Concha Vargas.
 

www.morkarbasi.com

Upcoming concerts

No concerts

Past concerts

Ask for artist

Artist:

preferred date:

Your Name / Company:

E-mail address:

Additional info:

SUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER

Subscribe and stay in touch

BUY TICKET

Here you can find full list of ticket offices. More

FREE TICKETS - GIFTS

We regularly give away tickets and other freebies (CDs, posters, artists' autographs) More

Join us