Layāli and Amanés - Bern

Layāli and Amanés – Journey into the Maqam, Echoes of the Mediterranean explores the deep musical connections between Arab-Andalusian traditions and Greek Rebetiko.

From the evocative ya lil, ya lil of Andalusian Spain and North Africa to the profound aman aman of Asia Minor and Greece, the project unites two ensembles: Ensemble Andalusí del Mediterráneo (Granada, Spain) and Aman Rebetiko (Kavala, Greece). Their collaboration creates a musical dialogue where centuries-old melodies, modal structures, and improvisation transcend borders, expressing timeless Mediterranean themes of love, exile, and longing.

Rooted in the fusion of Arab, Berber, Iberian, and Jewish cultures, Arab-Andalusian music journeyed eastward after 1492, merging with Levantine and Anatolian sounds and contributing, in its own share, to the later emergence of rebetiko in Greece.

Layāli and Amanés becomes a living bridge between cultures and eras, reviving the shared musical soul of the Mediterranean through emotion, heritage, and artistry.