Premices (Bikurim)

Bikurim is the Hebrew word for the first ripe fruit that was given as a sacred gift to the temple priests in ancient times.
This album is the first ripe debut recording of the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra for Magda label.
The orchestra, directed by Dr. Avi Eilam-Amzallag, is dedicating itself to a long time process of researching and reviving the old musical tradition of North African Jews. Those Jews were living until the end of the 15th century in Muslim Spain, known by Arabs as Al-Andalous. The reign of Spanish king Ferdinand and queen Isabel was marked, along America's discovery by Columbus, by the less optimist deportation of Spain's Jews who fled mostly to North African Muslim territories, as Morocco, Algiers and Tunisia.
Their music is what is played here. It is complexed and based on 24 different modal forms. Until this very day this form of traditional music was never written properly with notes. Writing the music is one of Dr. Amzallag's main contributions during the last years.
Performing it is his way of life. Now, for the first time, this special traditional Oriental Jewish music is recorded properly and available for everyone.