Flory Jagoda

A NOTE FROM FLORY JAGODA ...

My first CD, Kantikas Di Mi Nona (Songs of my Grandmother) (I) relived the happy memories of my family in Bosnia through songs that my Nona, a Sephardic folksinger, taught me. Her gift of these songs was the most valuable possession I brought with me from Europe.

Memories of Sarajevo, (2) the second recording, commemorates the songs of a vibrant Sephardic community in the city of my birth. 500 years after their forced exile, the Sephardim in Bosnia still sang songs of Spain. I recorded the song, La Yave De Espanya (The Key From Spain) for them.

I loved working on my third CD, La Nona Kanta, (The Grandmother Sings) FloryJagoda and Family (3) because at that time I was a Nona myself. I wrote songs for my grandchildren and recorded them with their parents, Betty, Elliot and Lori.

The title of my fourth CD is Arvoliko, (4) the little tree that stood as a silent witness to the horrible end of the Altaras Clan, my Bosnian family, and still today is the only marker of the mass grave where 42 Altaras members were thrown after being massacred during World War II. This cruel scene constantly haunts my soul, and the new songs that I wrote for this CD were etched with pain and melancholy.

I have tried to contrast the songs of sad memories with the happier sounds of the talented musicians and singers who have been studying with me. They, along with my family, have joined in my quest to keep the rich and colorful musical traditions of the Sephardim alive and vibrant.

I arrived in America as a war bride in 1946 with a suitcase full of memories .... good memories as well as some very ugly ones. So many of us who survived the Holocaust had one thing in common ... our silence. However, as we grew older, we began to feel the need to share our pain and also our many happy memories with the world. I poured my memories into songs. At 81 years old I am making Arvoliko, my final recording, completing a series of the four musical stages in my life.

Check Flory's web site for more information