The most obvious influences on Ventanas’ second album, Arrelumbre, are the wailing vocals and foot-stomping rhythms of flamenco. But Ventanas digresses without missing a beat into the more melancholy sounds of flamenco’s neighbor in geography and history, Sephardic Jewish music. This in turn opens the door to a continuum of music stretching from Spain through the Balkans and into the Near East. Passionate yet staccato, vocalist Tamar Ilana is the center of gravity for this all-acoustic ensemble. Oud and bouzouki keep pace with flamenco guitar.
