The daughter of
King Ferdinand of Aragon
and
Queen Isabella of Castile
and the mother of
King Charles V
,
Joan the Mad
(
Juana la Loca
in Spanish) was a Spanish queen who lived from 1479-1555. She is believed to have suffered from mental illness -- possibly, she experienced what is now called schizophrenia -- and was confined to the historic castle at Tordesillas. A fascinating CD,
Music for Joan the Mad
was inspired by the life of the Spanish queen, who was believed to be a major music lover.
La Nef
didn't claim that
was an exact re-creation of Spanish music from the 15th and 16th centuries -- the Quebec-based ensemble takes its share of liberties. On this enriching CD (which contains Spanish and French lyrics), listeners will hear elements of both European/Catholic and Middle Eastern music. In fact,
is full of what is known as "modal" or "scalar" playing -- Arabic, Jewish, Armenian, Greek, Indian, Turkish, and North African music are all modal-oriented, and in the 1960s, modality was embraced by such jazz innovators as
John Coltrane
Miles Davis
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Pharoah Sanders
, and
Yusef Lateef
. This album takes us back to a time when a lot of European folk was greatly influenced by Jews and Arabs, both of whom were violently forced out of Spain in the name of Christianity.
is an enriching gem that lovers of world music should make a point of obtaining. ~ Alex Henderson