Bracha Zfirah on Columbia

 Bracha Zfirah (or Zfira, Zefira, or Tzfira, depending on which transliteration from the Hebrew you choose) was a remarkable Israeli singer. Without going too much into the various ethnic branches of Judaism, she was of Yemenite heritage, but was raised in a Sephardic neighborhood in Jerusalem, and is often considered one of the greatest singers of Sephardic songs. Born in 1910, she met composer/pianist Nahum Nardi in 1929, and found an immediate musical connection. Nardi became her accompanist, and the couple was married in 1931. They parted, legally and musically, in 1939.

Zfirah continued to perform until shortly before her death in 1990. Although she was considered a cultural icon, her popularity waned over the years, as her style came to be considered old-fashioned. 

To inject a personal note - I began searching for klezmer and other Jewish 78s when I began a 12-year stint playing in Atlanta's 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra, which combined klezmer with jazz and Afro-pop. I found a green-label Columbia record by Bracha Zfirah in an antique store in Chattanooga, and was blown away when I got home and placed the record on the turntable. "Yesh Li Gan" was a striking song, and what a beautiful performance! I arranged the song for the 4WAKO, and it can be found on our Abdul the Rabbi album.

Here are three Bracha Zfirah 78s on the U.S. Columbia label. There are only five selections here because one is duplicated on two of the records - "Yesh Li Gan" is on the original blue-label issue and a later green-label issue from Columbia foreign series. I'm not sure whether or not any of these have been reissued, but they're all well worth hearing, in my opinion. The first thee selection were recorded in 1937; the last two in 1949.

Yesh Li Gan (I Have a Garden)

Shir Haavodah (Hymn of Praise to Labor)

Bein Nehar Prath (Between the Tigris and the Euprhates)

El-Hanegev (Toward the Negev)

Im Ein Ani Li (Who is For Me, If Not Myself?)