“Leisibatxu Zuria Dozu” (1992) – Txomin Artola and Amaia Zubiria * Traditional Arrangement by Txomin Artola and Amaia Zubiria * CD: Folk-Lore-Sorta-2 * Label: Elkar
The preeminent Basque folk singers Txomin Artola and Amaia Zubiria released three volumes of their Folk–Lore–Sorta (folk lore dimensions) series in the early 1990s and are well worth searching out. Many of the songs come from the Basque priest and pioneering linguist Resurreción María Azkue’s folk song collection Cancionero Popular Vasco, published circa 1922. My Basque resources, so far, have yet to provide a confident translation of the word “leisibatxu” in the title, but this enchanting track evidently tells the story of a husband who dresses up as a confessional-cabinet priest to gain insight into his estranged wife’s fidelity.