Welcome Lovers of Music, Language, Judaica, the Ottoman Era, Old Spanish and Exotic Cultures!

Created and directed by renowned mezzo-soprano vocalist Bonita Nahoum Jaros, Los Tanyaderos is an ensemble of two to ten performers dedicated to the preservation of the ethnic music of endangered cultures. A Romance linguist and musician, Bonita has dedicated a large part of her personal and professional life to the preservation and documentation of the language and music of her native culture. Her love of international music and language arises from her ancestry as the granddaughter of Sephardic Jews of the Ottoman Empire. Their songs, the few treasures they could take as they moved from their war-torn land, preserved the culture and language.

The double CD set, Kantigas de Mi Chikés, is a tribute to Bonita's parents and grandparents and the legacy of her children. Bonita says, "Sometimes when I sing the songs of my ancestors, I feel them passing through me." Set to the beautiful accompaniment of John Bilezikjian, Bonita and John weave music and poetry with all the ardor of her past.

As quoted in the journal of the European Sephardic Institute (Sefarad.org)

DE QUELQUES DISQUES...

Kantigas de Mi Chikés

De Bonita Nahoum Jaros

"Ce merveilleux double CD (seCD101 édité par Los Tanyaderos, USA) vient de nous arriver. C'est un enchantement pour les oreilles et le livret est un régal tant pour les yeux et pour l'intellect. Accompagné par John Bilezikjjian à l'oud, au violon, au tamourin et la mandoline, Bonita, une fort belle femme, nous replonge au début de ce siècle, dans la Salonique, berceau de sa famille. Les plus beaux morceaux du répertoire sépharade nous font vibrer l'âme. De sa voix pure comme le cristal, la chanteuse, une grande interprète, nous donne une interprétation à la fois nouvelle et classique. De la belle chanson pour faire rê ver..."

"This marvelous double CD (seCD101 produced by Los Tanyaderos, USA) has just arrived. It is an enchantment for the ears, as is the jewel cover for the eyes and the intellect. It is accompanied by John Bilezikjian on the oud, the violin, the dumbek and the mandolin. Bonita, a beautiful woman, plunges us into the beginning of the century, in Salonika, the cradle of her family. The most beautiful pieces of the Sephardic repertoire vibrate in our souls. From her voice, pure as crystal, the singer, a great interpreter, gives us a modern and classical interpretation at the same time. Beautiful songs to make us dream ..."

--MoÏse Rahmani
Journal of the Institut Sépharade Européen
(Translation by Bonita Nahoum Jaros)