Greek and Turkish music thread

by **Philellinas** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:48 am

I don't think Tolga Çandar has been given an outing on this forum so I'm outing him now:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IV-XmKM5Fo

by **kastamonu** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 12:59 pm

I'm having trouble posting/replying to anything on here at the moment but I will persevere.

Thanks everyone for the latest postings - I actually like (some) Arabesque - I loved Şevval Sam's version of Sarhoş (not long ago I posted (I think to the You Tube link) Ibrahim Tatlises (rather emotional) version.

I'll send this to thank you all & then try to locate (in separate mails) - Zara's lovely Sarı Yazma (MUCH more her normal style) & a version of Sarhoş (live) with IT!

Arabesque (earthy) & a glass or 4 of rakı - here in Turkey - most enjoyable I think!

Cheers to you all!

by **kastamonu** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:05 pm

http://www.timsah.com/zara-sari-yazma-v ... dddMrOhH2M

viewing quality not good - lovely I think though

by **Philellinas** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:08 pm

Please persevere, Pauline. Your contributions as somebody resident in the Levant are much appreciated. I shall be imbibing rakı on my next pilgrimage to Athos but only so that the monks don't get upset. The sacrifices one makes in the course of duty...

by **kastamonu** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:13 pm

Cheers Phil (and many thanks for your kind words!)

Before the computer/system gives up on me completely - here's IT again for you all - I didn't much like the live (show) version with Zara anyway!

http://www.izlesene.com/video/ibrahim-t ... os/2558415

by **Philellinas** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:05 pm

Şerefe, Pauline! I believe that is what they say in the vernacular. Thanks for the Ibo clip. It must be compulsory to wear a white suit when performing arabesk. Ibo must be a hell of an age now.

by **kastamonu** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:20 pm

Ha ha - love the white suit comment! Şerefe to you too Phil - can feel a glass of red coming on soon here in Foca!

I'm not sure of his age - he's lucky to have got there - was shot in the head not long ago here in Turkey - I'm assured he's now recovering well in Germany - he's led a colourful life.....(Aydın just arrived home & thinks he must be 60 or so......)

by **Chris P** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:47 pm

judith wrote:I can see why you like Alatav, Chris. I assume you have seen them live?

Back in Alatav's earlier line-up they included members of the Turkish rock/pop/folk group Karagüneş ('Black Sun' - also the name of a famous film) including brothers Önder & Özgür - both also great Santur players as well as muli-instrumentalists.

One night in the early hours, fairly deserted late September 2005 wet Istanbul street, I found Önder and his girlfriend, singing, playing santur & guitar. The music sounded as close to supernaturally good to me as music has ever got. Despite the language barrier, I found out that he played in a group called Karagüneş.
To hear more of the same music became something of a quest. Through some serendipitous web-searching I got talking to someone online who connected me up with Karagüneş, and I was sent mp3s of their albums. Fine as they were, they were too alt. rock/folk for me really, & only a couple of tracks (the best ones) had santur on.
By that time I'd seen "Crossing the Bridge" & got excited by SiyaSiyaBend and their street-music life & santur playing. A Turkish contact told me they were pals & allies (there's a fair lot of politics & social activism in what they do & support, another reason to like 'em perhaps) with Karagüneş. The flip side to street culture is some heavy drug problems screwing some members of their musical tribe up, & hassle from the authorities.

Anyways about half a year ago I stumbled on a Turkish music blog & liked the look of an album by a street busking group with santur & ney - it was being offered as a free download, as the only way to get it legitimately was to buy it off them in person on the 'Stanboul streets & squares. Blow me down then pin me there with a feather, but it was frickin amazing - the holy grail - the motherlode - the poodles pouch - the moggie's whispy extensions. This was the music I'd been looking for (had even posted here at SoTW & fRoots forum in my thus far frootless searching).

I googled Alatav and was rewarded with masses of great YouTubery, and then I discovered that the personnel on this Alatav album (and on a fair few of the video clips) included Önder - the start of the whole thing for me: It'd come full circle. I was made-up & in a sort of music-nerdlike state of grace for weeks after (still am really).

There's more to this story as it then branched off in another fruitful & exciting direction, but I'll attempt to bore everyone another time (santurs, the street, & some Sephardic content). But, here's the pay-off for today:

Never mind my so-called discovery of Alatav last winter: CHARLIE SCOOPED ME BACK IN 2009, and I noted Alatav in my posts at the time without keeping an eye out for them & any recordings that might escape internationally, and promptly forgetting their name & existence despite my claimed passion for their music. Charlie ended his "Sound of Turkey Part 1" episode of WoM with a recording he made of Alatav busking in the street:

And here's my April 2009 feedback post to Charlie here at SoTW:

Like you Charlie, SiyaSiya band were the highlight of the Crossing the Bridge film for me (as was Aynur's performance). I've been to Istanbul once and a young duo playing music on the street late at night : santur and vocals was one of the most enduringly musical & magical things I've heard.
So, I'm a sucker for santurs played in the street !
What a pity the Alatav recording was such a brief snippet & cruelly truncated by the end of the programme - I liked the sound of it

so turning in circles & chasing my tail, I seem to swim around like a goldfish, endlessly enjoying rediscovering the magic of street santur (goldfish are known to adore santur, right?).

Here's a fave clip of Alatav doing an unsually early composed piece of repertoire by the great (& famous) Tanburi Cemil Bey (from the turn of the 19th & 20th Centuries):

Not a fiery one, and no singing, but a beautiful tune. Ahmet "Hemo" Ozturk - santur, Mübin Dünen - ney, & the person who started it all for me: Önder Karagunes on 12-string guitar (not santur this time - after all how many groups have had 3 exceptional santur players to call on?)

http://youtu.be/WKfWN2YACQg

my 20 year old niece, who's into mostly current sounds, surprised me by getting hooked on this piece via a facebook post, and being able to sing the melody by way of illustrating her picking it up as a lug(hole)worm

by **AndyM** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:24 pm

Fascinating post, Chris.

by **kastamonu** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 10:06 pm

Yes I agree - thank you Chris. And the music absolutely beautiful & much enjoyed here by both Aydın & I this evening.

by **Rob Hall** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 10:54 pm

kastamonu wrote:http://www.timsah.com/zara-sari-yazma-ve-muhur-gozlum/ZdddMrOhH2M

viewing quality not good - lovely I think though

Lovely indeed! Thanks for this Pauline.

by **kastamonu** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:15 pm

http://youtu.be/WKfWN2YACQg

I just can't stop playing the Kara Guneş 'Tanburi Cemil bey'den' Chris recently put up for us - it's quite stunning & at the moment I just wish I was in Istanbul (Beyoğlu or gorgeous Tunel) listening to them play in the streets.

Aydın (my husband) said all these (very excellent) street buskers are Conservatoire trained - I'm sure they must be - I've said before I don't know a huge amount about music and instrument playing but I certainly know what I like!

For the record - this Forum gives me (even if infrequent) a whole lot of pleasure - especially after we lost Charlie last year.

Thanks to all.

by **Chris P** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:29 pm

I'm really really glad you're liking the Alatav clips. This fairly recent one has some of the same qualities as the Tanburi Cemil Bey one (which should really be billed as Alatav not Karagunes), a lovely performance, well filmed & good sound quality, soulful vocals too:

http://youtu.be/BIuUK-Wt-nE

(there are some worrying recent clips of Alatav on Youtube with a different line-up: no ney & fairly basic elec bass & elec guitar. Nothing against those instruments, but the clips don't sound too good so far)

Check out "Light in Babylon" as they're currently perhaps the most exciting street santur band to grace Istanbul

by **kastamonu** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:47 pm

Thanks Chris - also superb (the guy at the back in shades looks fairly spaced-out, but obviously deep into it all!)

Sorry to hear things not so good for Alatav at present - hopefully they'll change for the better soon, maybe with different musicians/instruments? I really adore the Santur (had never even seen or heard of it before I'm ashamed to say!)

We heard a guy playing Kanun (? similar) in an old Han in Izmir recently - also singing - that was lovely too - not like Istanbul obviously but the Kızlarağasi Hani (spelt wrong I'm sure) near Kemeraltı a pretty nice place to hang out for an hour or so - away from all that modern life on the streets! Check out the lamb's tongue wrap (soğuz) - not to everyone's taste maybe (they also do brain & cheek!) I'm really into all that stuff these days!

Thanks again - I shall also check out Light in Babylon now!

Bests!

by **kastamonu** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:59 pm

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A ... 9NovNwTelg

Goodness knows what you will make of this (you'll remember he's one of my favourites) - a bit of an amateur setting but his heart is always so much in it!

He always gets to me anyway.....