Multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer Mara Aranda was born December 6, 1968, in Valencia, Spain. From the age of 16 she became a singer-songwriter, fundamentally influenced by traditional music and Early Music.
In 1998, Mara was one of the founders and main composer of a seminal Spanish band called L’Ham de Foc along with multi-instrumentalist Efrén López. The world music group based in Valencia incorporated Valencian folk music, Greek music, North African rhythms and Indian influences. L’Ham de Foc released several critically-acclaimed albums.
In 2007, she formed Al Andaluz Project along with vocalists Iman Kandoussi and Sigrid Hausen. Their debut album was “Deus et diabolus”, an encounter and fusion of Central European, Andalusian and Sephardic music.
After L’Ham de Foc, Mara performed with critically acclaimed world music ensembles Aman Aman, and Al Andaluz Project. She released her debut solo album “Dèria” (2009) under the name Mara Aranda & Solatge. Her band, Solatge featured top Spanish world music instrumentalists such as Eduardo Navarro, Jota Martínez, Josep Maria Ribelles and Manolo López. “Dèria” featured a contemporary repertoire, inspired by traditional pieces from the ancient Kingdom of Aragon. The album was accompanied by a 52-page libretto with poetic and introductory texts by Valencian writer Josep Vicent Frechina (in Valencian, Spanish and English).
Al Andaluz Project released a second album titled “Al Maraya” (“The Mirror”) in 2010. The album featured musicians from Spain, morocco and Germany.
In 2017, Mara started a pentalogy called “Diaspora”, dedicated to the Judeo-Spanish traditions of Morocco, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and former Yugoslavia. The first release was “Sefarad en el corazón de Marruecos” (2017), awarded “Best of Europe 2017” album by the Transglobal World Music Chart.
The second volume of Diaspora was “Sefarad en el corazón de Turquía” (2019), where Mara sang about epic, historical or legendary characters linked to the medieval past of the Iberian Peninsula, songs still popular in Spain, America, and throughout the Diaspora. For the first time, she revitalized the songs (romances) associated with the city of Valencia and the Crown of Aragon (Valencia was part of the Kingdom of Aragon in medieval times). Her band included Jota Martínez on plucked string instruments of the Spanish medieval tradition; Alex Guitart on plucked string of the Turkish tradition; Fernando Depiaggi on ney and percussion from the Middle East; and Azam Kirko on qanun and plucked strings of Anatolia.
Discography:
Cendraires (Sonifolk, 1998)
U (Sonifolk, 1999)
Cançó De Dona I Home (Sonifolk, 2002)
Cor De Porc (Galileo MC, 2005)
Música i Cants Sefardís d´Orient i Occident, with Aman Aman (Galileo, 2006)
Deus et Diabolus, with Al Andaluz (Galileo, 2007)
Dèria (Galileo, 2009)
Al Maraya, with Al Andaluz (Galileo, 2010)
Nits cosies, with Artaica (Temps Record, 2010)
Abuab-Al Andaluz/Live in Munich (Galileo, 2011)
Sephardic Legacy (Bureo músiques, 2013)
Lo Testament (Bureo músiques, 2013)
Mare Vostrum (Picap, 2015)
Sefarad en el Corazón de Marruecos (self-release, 2017)
Sefarad en el Corazón de Turquía (2019)
Trobairitz (2020)
Nits cosides (2021)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.