Songs Of Exile

Editor's info:
Musician, Algerian hero and Enrico Macias's father-in-law
Songs of Exile (Chant D'exil) is an inedit historical recording of the Jewish-Algerian musician Raymond Leyris. The recording was made in 1956 in the town of Constantine, Raymond Leyris birthplace in Algiers.
The CD consists of Algerian classical andalusian music, performed by Raymond Leyris's orchestra which includes both Jewish and Arab musicians , and classical Arab texts describing the golden age in Spain.Among the players you will find a talented 14 years old guitar player - Gaston Ghrenassia, later known as the popular singer Enrico Macias.
In 1961, during the Algerian War of Liberation, Raymond Leyris was assassinated by a radical Muslim group. This brutal assassination prompted the massive immigration of the Algerian Jewish community from Algiers.To this day, Raymond Leyris symbolizes fellowship and unity between Jews, Arabs and Christians.
These historical recordings have been preserved and the sound quality has been improved and a stereo effect has been added.
This CD is part of "ROOTS" - Magda's project of musical documentation of Jewish roots.