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:
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.
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