A New CD was released by The Jewish Music Research Centre in Jerusalem on the music of the Jewish women of Cochin, India. For centuries, the Jewish women of Cochin have been singing Jewish songs in the Malayalam language of Kerala, their ancient homeland on the tropical southwest coast of India.
Here’s the info to buy it and more descriptions below:
Title: Oh, Lovely Parrot! – Jewish Women’s Songs from Kerala
Editor(s): Barbara C. Johnson
Publisher: The Jewish Music Research Centre, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Place: Jerusalem
First Edition Year: 2004
Language: Malayalam
Tradition: Cochin
Country: India
Category: Folk Songs
Price: NIS 60 / $ 20
for more info….

The 42 songs on this CD represent just a fraction of their traditional repertoire as preserved in more than 300 written texts, though the melodies of most of the songs have been forgotten. Until recently, the performance of these songs was in danger of being lost altogether with the immigration of almost all the Cochin Jews to Israel, where younger generations no longer understand Malayalam. Fortunately, a collaborative project is now under way, with a team of international scholars, studying and translating the songs, and a group of Cochin women dedicated to reviving their performance. This CD is one result of this collaboration.
http://www.jewish-music.huji.ac.il/GetDetails-green.asp?id=57&TableName=CDs_T