With a ship’s-horn power voice and irresistible stage presence, Nani defends the endangered Ladino language. Her fascinating migration mix influences her music, mixing the lively sounds of the marketplace with Flamenco drama.
Nani Vazana is one of few artists in the world that writes and composes new songs in the endangered Ladino language – the language, close to Spanish, spoken by the Jewish population of multifaith Spain in the 15th century.
Nani learned Ladino from her Moroccan grandmother in hiding, as her father forbade them to speak Ladino at home. In her fourth solo album, Ke Haber (‘What’s New’), she revitalizes the ancient, matriarchal language and culture, bringing it into the 21st century with powerful lyrics that explore themes of migration, gender, and female empowerment. The music blends tradition with modernity, evoking the lively atmosphere of a marketplace through a mix of raw, flamenco-inspired vocals and unexpected instrumentation.
Nani is ranked #11 World Music Charts and #13 Music Charts Europe, represented the Netherlands at the EU Music Festival in Vietnam and performed at the Kennedy Center USA, BBC Radio 3, the London Jazz Festival UK, Jazz in the Park fest Romania and the Jodhpur RIFF festival India. Her music was documented for the Library of Congress USA in 2023, in an honour reserved to few artists, naming her new Ladino repertoire as a “living relic”.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The age guidance for this performance is 14+.
The performance will be 60 minutes long. There will be no intervals. After the performance, Nani will be selling and signing her new album “Ke Haber” in the museum’s foyer.
Book Nani Vazana at Manchester Jewish Museum
