Türkiye - Istanbul Part I

 

We arrive in the largest city in Turkey, in fact the largest city in Europe, Istanbul.  It's a bustling melting pot between east and west straddling the Bosporus Straight, which separates Europe from Asia.  Whilst not being the capital of Turkey, it is the economic and cultural powerhouse of the country and home to 19% of the population, so we'll be spending a bit longer here.  

Let's arrive early in the morning before it gets too busy and not too hot and ease ourselves into the city with something calming and meditative and maybe not so typical.  Duduk player Canberk Ulaş was born in Istanbul, but now resides in Sweden.  He plays and teaches the Armenian duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument.  He draws on Armenian and Anatolian influences with a modern electronic twists and looping. The results are a kind of reflective meditation.  He  has just released his new album Echoes of Becoming and this is a tune from it called Greetings to Istanbul, accompanied on piano: 

After breakfast we'll maybe wander down Independence Avenue (İstiklal Caddesi) in the Beyoğlu district and catch a few buskers plying their trade, like these guys here:

They are international ethno-folk ensemble Light in Babylon.  They formed in 2010, when Israeli/Iranian singer Michal Elia Kamal and French guitarist Julien Demarque bumped into each other and went in search for a santur player (A type of hammered dulcimer), whom they found in Istanbul in the form of Metehan Çiftçi.  Initially the 3 had difficulty communicating as they didn't speak each others languages, but musically they hit it off.  So, inspired by the Biblical story of the Tower of Babylon they came up with their name.  Initially they just hit the Istanbul busking scene, but they have since added a couple more members to the band, recorded some albums and tour internationally.  Here is a song from their 2022 album On Our Way called Sal Sal:

Psych folk band Baba Zula got together in 1996, and with some personnel changes, are still going strong.  They combine traditional Turkish sounds around the saz (a bouzouki-like string instrument) with electronic overdubs and reggae-like rhythms.  Here's a particularly psychedelic number called Transendance from their 2019 album Derin Derin: 

Singer Gaye Si Akyol was born in Istanbul in 1985.  She has had some considerable international success with her version of Turkish psychedelia and Anatolian rock, winning the Best Artist award in Songlines Magazine in 2019.  Like others in the genre, she combines guitar, bass and drums with traditional Turkish instruments such as oud, electro baglama and cümbüş.  She also champions various political causes, such as LGBTQ+ rights, performing in flamboyant outfits, and she is also an accomplished painter.  Here's a stripped down version of a song called Vurgunum Ama Acelesi Yok (I'm keen, but there's no rush) from her 2022 album Anadolu Ejderi:

Lalalar are a three-man psych-rock band from Istanbul, who are relatively new on the scene, with a sound, according to their own words, like a dumpster dive of spaghetti-western psychedelics, Anatolian funk, sampling and hazy electronics. Their songs are real dancefloor fillers.  Here is a song called Göt from their 2023 album  En Kötü Iyi Olur:

Tolga Boyuk is the creative force behind electro acoustic trio Islandman, based in Istanbul  They blend Anatolian rock with electronica, Afrobeat sounds and shamanic rhythms to produce music for the dance floor.  Here's the opening track to their 2020 album Kaybola called Dimitro:

I think that should do for this post, more music from Istanbul next time.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline Map

Türkiye - East Thrace

 After Bulgaria we now arrive in Turkey or the official name the Republic of Türkiye.  I have never been to Turkey as of yet, so have only the usual stereotypes to offer: the gateway to Asia, the country of whirling Dervishes, oriental bazaars, Turkish delight and kebabs.  Whilst I have never been, it's probably the first culture different from mine that I had encountered as a kid growing up in Germany, which has a large Turkish diaspora. One day I'll go for myself to see, in the meantime I'll just travel in mind through the medium of music.

We start our virtual journey in East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, which has been a region of conflict between the Ottomans, Bulgarians and Byzantines over the centuries.  Our first stop is the small city of Kirklareli, where qanun player and composer Göksel Baktagir was born in 1966.  The qanun is a zither-like string instrument that is commonly played solo or as part of an ensemble throughout the Middle East.  Here's a short piece from his 2008 album Hayal Gibi 3 (Like a Dream), called Huzur, with some dramatic landscape shots:

Also from Kirklareli is master percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Burhan Öçal.  Living on the crossroads between the Balkans and Turkey, he has incorporated both influences into his music together gathering a band of Gypsy musicians from various corners of East Thrace and called them the Trakya Allstars.  It is based around the regionally typical instruments of the zurna, a reed instrument similar to the oboe and the davul, a local drum.  He added some Balkan Gypsy brass into the mix, which is rather unusual in Turkish music.  Here's a song from their 2003 album Kirklareli Il Siniri called Karakaş Mahallesi:

Singer/songwriter Candan Erçetin was born in 1963 a bit south in the city of Lüleburgaz.  She is mostly known for her pop music, but as she is of Macedonian descent, she mixes in Balkan elements into her music, singing in Turkish, French and Greek.  She represented Turkey at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest, but appears by all accounts a well balanced person with multiple interests.  Here is a song from her 1999 album Elbette called Annem:

Singer Hatice Yıldız Levent, better known by her stage name of Muazzaez Ersoy was born in 1958 in the town of Uzunköprü. She sings classic Turkish / Arabesque songs giving her the nickname of Nostalgia Queen in Turkey.  Here's a song from her 2016 album Özel Koleksiyon 2 called Dumanlı Dumanlı:

Roma clarinettist Selim Sesler was born in 1957 in the town of Keşan near Edirne, but sadly died of heart disease in 2014.  He came from a long line of professional musicians who originated from Greece, but were moved in 1923 in the population exchange between the 2 countries.  He was performing at Gypsy weddings from the age of 14, but his fame originally started outside his native country, touring internationally with Canadian musician Brenna MacKimmon.  Here is a song from his 2006 album Oğlan Bizim Kız Bizim (Anatolian Wedding) called Şu Köyceğiz Yolları:

Cem Karaca (1945- 2004) was born in Bakırköy on the European side of Istanbul province.  He was a leading influence in the Anatolian Rock scene, being a member of numerous bands during the 70's, as well as recording under his own name.  During a time of great political turbulence, he was accused of inciting a revolution with his song lyrics by the government.  As a result he went into exile in West Germany, where he stayed until 1987, when an amnesty was given to him.  Anatolian rock and psychedelia have had a bit of a renaissance in recent years and many of Karaca's recordings have been re-released, such as the 2023 compilation by German based label Anadolu.  Here is song featured on this album called  Tamirci Çıragı, about a humble car mechanic falling in love with a client, but being told to accept his working class status by his boss.

That's it from the European side of Turkey, next we are heading into the bustling metropolis that is Istanbul, where we'll spending some time.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.

Bulgaria - Plovdiv & the Rest

Plovdiv Mosque from a nearby roof terrace

Plovdiv old town

Now, unlike Sofia, I really did like Bulgaria's second city Plovdiv.  It has an ancient history with Roman ruins visible in various parts of the city and is reputedly one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe dating back some 7000 years.  It now has a vibrant student scene, famed for great food and a lively nightlife.  On one occasion we were eating in a restaurant when we were unexpectedly treated to this dance performance:

Singer and choir master Eugenia Georgieva is a native of Plovdiv, but now resides in London, where she leads a Bulgarian choir at University College London.  She performs both solo as well as part of various ensembles, delving mostly into traditional material from the Rila Mountains, but also dabbling with electronic music.  Here is a track from her 2018 solo album Po Drum Mome / A Girl on the Road called Brayne le Ivane / Hey, Brother Ivan:

One of the ensembles Eugenia is part of is the Perunika Trio, a traditional a'capella group together with Victoria Evstatieva and Victoria Mancheva.  Here is a short song called Pripade temna mugla from their 2008 debut album Introducing Perunika Trio:

Singer Neli Andreeva was born in the town of Asenovgrad, but grew up in the Rhodope Mountains, where she began singing traditional songs from an early age with her grandmother.  She is also choir master of the Philip Kutev Folklore Ensemble, more of which below.  Here is a song called Da Znaesh Maicho featuring her as lead singer together with the Nusha Choir and Croatian pianist Zvjezdan Ružić, which features on their 2023 album Dandelion:

Folk singer Valya Balkanska, born 1942 in Arda in the southern Rhodope Mountains near the Greek border, has literally achieved interstellar fame.  Her song Iziel ye Delyo Haydutin was included on a music recording that was on the NASA spacecrafts Voyager I and II that were launched in 1977 to explore space beyond our solar system.  I wonder what aliens made of this, but it it is indeed a beautiful piece of music which was originally recorded on vinyl in 1968.  Here is the song:

Clarinet player and band leader Ivo Papazov was born in Kardzhali in the eastern Rhodpe Mountains.  He started playing in public from the age of 12 at Gypsy weddings and later founded his own wedding band, pioneering the style of Balkan Gypsy wedding music fusing Balkan music with elements of funk, rock and jazz, often played at breakneck speed.  He collected numerous awards including the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award in 2005.  Try out his 2007 Best of album for some more, but here is an historic live performance on Nightmusic.  Try not to wriggle around manically...

Next we are heading north into the Rose Valley, which provides a large percentage of the worlds rose oil.  During our time in Bulgaria we based ourselves in the small village of Rozovets.

For much of the year it's a quiet place, but at the end of the summer everybody who has moved away over the years comes back for a grand summer party with plenty of food, music, dancing and fireworks.  The band starts playing around 5 pm and goes on non-stop - and I mean non-stop, no breaks between songs or tunes, just individual musicians having a wee break now and then - until 1 am.  Here's a wee flavour of it all:

Composer and arranger Filip Kutev (or Philip Koutev) was born in Aytos near the Black Sea coast in 1903 and died in 1982, but his name lives on in the Bulgarian National Folklore Ensemble Philip Kutev, which he founded together with his wife Maria in 1951.  The ensemble was the first to bring traditional Bulgarian music onto the stage and to a wider audience.  It is now led by his daughter Elena Kuteva.  Below a sampler of their varied activities.  For more check out their 2006 self-titled album. 

That's it from Bulgaria, next we are heading to Turkey.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.