Greece - Athens Part II

 Continuing our exploration of the music of Athens, we encounter the duo of Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis.  They have taken the ancient traditional music form of Demotika and added a modern twist coming up with what they call Greekadalia. Kristi sings and plays an Indian Harmonium or a frame drum, whilst Stathis accompanies her with Greek lauto, live looping and electronics, which makes for an hypnotic effect.  Here is a song from their 2012 album Greekadalia called Neratzoula Fountomeini:

Singer and composer Marina Satti was born in Athens in 1986 to Cretan and Sudanese heritage.  She started playing the piano aged 5 and later went on to study classical singing and eventually jazz composition at Berklee University in the USA.  She has written music for films and has done voice overs for animated movies.  After several successful singles, she released her debut album Yenna in 2022.  Last year she represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest.  Her style is a blend of various cultural influences as well as pop and electronica.  Here's a song from her above mentioned album called Pali:

Jazz-folk fusion band Mode Plagal were formed in Athens in 1990.  They combine funky upbeat saxophone-lead jazz with traditional Greek folk inflections.  Here is a track from their 1998 album Mode Plagal II called Pikrodafni:

Singer Katerina Papadopoulou is considered one of the very few in Greece who still continue the art of the old masters of traditional singing.  She founded the Anastatica Project to highlight the ancient traditions of Greece and has recorded an album with them in 2021 entitled Anástasis - a journey through old Greek music.  Here's a flavour of their music.  Turn on the subtitles for English translations.

That's it from Athens for today, next we will be exploring more music from the Greek mainland.  In the meantime, as usual you can follow my virtual route on my Tripline map.

Greece - Piraeus & Athens Part I

 Arriving back from the Aegean Islands your literal first port of call is the busy harbour of Piraeus.  Inevitably many of the people born here trace their origins to the islands too, I suppose they have better hospital facilities there.

First up we meet multi-instrumentalist Michalis Nikoloudis, who was born in 1949 to parents from the islands of Chios and Ikaria respectively.  He started playing the electric guitar from an early age, playing in various bands.  He later went on to play a number of string instruments including mandola, baroque lute and mandolin.  He is particularly known for his custom-made mandola with a modified neck, strings and tuning.  His music combines both Greek influences as well as the sounds from the wider Balkan and Anatolian region.  Here is a tune called Armenistis, which originally came out on his 1995 debut album Aeolia but also features on his 2016 compilation Complete Guide to Michalis Nikoloudis:

Folk and jazz singer Eleftheria Arvanitaki was born in 1957 in Piraeus, also with roots in Ikaria.  She has appeared at several Womad festivals as well as participating in the closing ceremony to the 2004 Athens Olympics.  Her style has influences of both Rebetika and jazz.  Here is a song from her 2019 album Ta Megala Taxidia (The Long Journeys) called Ki Ego Pou Elega (And I said):

Next we are heading into the bustling and ancient capital of Greece, Athens.  I spent a couple of days there on my rough hitchhiking trip back in 1981.  We arrived late at night and we tried to find a quiet spot to sleep somewhere.  Seeing a fence with some trees behind, we decided to climb over and camp out there.  In the morning we were woken by some tourists taking a tour of some ruins and finding us sound asleep.

Legendary singer Maria Farantouri was born in Athens in 1947.  She collaborated extensively with Mikis Theodorakis, toured with him around Europe while in exile during the military dictatorship in Greece and shared Theodorakis left-wing political convictions and, like him, later served in the Greek parliament.  Her voice is a contralto spanning 2 octaves, and she has been described as the Callas of the people or the Greek Joan Baez. Here are a couple of songs from a live performance from when she was only 18 years old.  They are from the 1966 Ballad of Mauthausen, which has been re-released a couple of times since:

Singer / songwriter Nena Ventsanou was born in Athens in 1955 and was gifted with beautiful voice from an early age.  Like many of her contemporaries she went into exile during the junta years.  Like Farantouri she has always been deeply involved with the political left and has collaborated with Mikis Theodorakis amongst many others.  Here is a song called Pira Ti Strata Erhome (I took the step and I'm coming) which features on the 2004 compilation album The Rough Guide to Rebétika:

We've come across lyra master Sokratis Sinopoulos before in Istanbul as collaborator with Derya Türkan. He was born in Athens in 1974 and was taught on the lyra by Ross Daly. He is now considered one of the most eminent proponents of the lyra, leads his own quartet and teaches at Thessaloniki University. Here is a track from the 2020 album Soundplaces together with Turkan on the kemençe called Cyclades:

I've been having a bit of a busy month (blame the great weather!), so I better get this post published and continue in Athens next time. In the meantime, as usual, you can track my virtual wanderings on my Tripline Map.

Greece - The Aegean Islands

 Now Greece is known for its many islands, which are popular holiday destinations with pristine beaches and white washed houses.  We're only be visiting a few of them, starting with Kos in the Aegean Sea near the coast of Türkiye.  

Here we are reaching far back in history to the earliest recordings of music.  Maria Papagika was born in 1890 on the island of Kos and died in 1943 in New York.  She was the first female Greek recording artist.  She emigrated to the USA in 1915 with her cimbalon playing husband, when Kos was under Italian rule.  She was known for her sweet soprano voice and became a popular Rebetiko performer for the wider diaspora of the Balkans.  Here is a song she recorded around 1926 called Galata Manes, which features on the 2004 compilation album The Rough Guide to Rebetika:

I don't know much about bouzouki player Takis Elenis apart from that he is originally from the island of Leipsoi, but later emigrated to the USA.  He collaborated with other Greek musicians, specifically with fellow bouzouki player Anestos Athanasiou and the Feejon Group, playing traditional Greek dance tunes from all around the islands.  The only release I am aware of is Smithsonian Folways' 1989 album Greek Folk Dances.  Here is a tune from the album called Frangosiriani: 

Next we're heading to the island of Lesbos (or Lesvos).  Due to its close proximity to the Anatolian coast, it has always had more eastern influences.  In 1996 Crete University Press published a compilation of traditional music from the island called Lesvos Aiolis, featuring various artists.  The following song also featured on the 2010 compilation The Rough Guide to Greek Café. It's called Kontrabatzidhes:

Next we meet one of the giants of Greek music and national treasure in composer Mikis Theodorakis, who was born on the island of Chios in 1925 and only died in 2021.  He most famously wrote the score for the 1964 movie Zorba the Greek and the Mauthausen Trilogy, which has been described as the most beautiful piece of music ever written about the Holocaust.  He was also known for his political activism, associated with the left and the Communist party and against the 1967 to 1974 ruling Junta.  The latter got him in trouble on many occasions leading to imprisonment and temporary exile.  He did serve in government before and after though.  As I said in the last post, I had the enormous pleasure of seeing him live with his orchestra and Maria Farantouri in 1981 at the incredible natural rock arena of Bad Segeberg in Northern Germany.

Here is the final dance scene from Zorba the Greek:

And here is a live performance from 2001 of O Kaimos together with singer Yannis Parios, who was born in 1946 on the island of Paros:

Finally we hop over to the island of Syros, where the 'patriarch of Rebetika' Markos Vamvakaris was born in 1905 (died in 1972).  Apparently he left his native island in the mistaken belief that the cops were after him and settled in Piraeus, where he worked in various odd jobs.  When he first heard the Bouzouki he was inspired to learn it himself and became quite a virtuoso on the instrument, writing his own songs.  Mikis Theodarakis himself described him: "We all, we are but branches of a tree. Markos is that tree."  Here is an extract from a 1963 documentary, which also features Vasilis Tsitsanis from Trikala.  The song Markos sings is called Antonis Vakaris Seretis and features on the 2004 compilation album The Rough Guide to Rebetika:

That's it from the Aegean Islands, next we are heading for the Greek mainland.  Meanwhile you are invited to follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Greece - Crete - The West

 Next we are heading to the west of the island beginning in the Lefka Ori Mountain range near Chania.  It is this region that his home to a distinct vocal tradition called Rizitika, which traditionally was performed by men a capella.  Singer and composer Xanthoula Dakovanou is actually from Athens, but she has just released an album inspired by Cretan vocal traditions called Rizituals, giving the songs female voices and adding instrumentation.  Here's a song from that album called Rizituals Sousta featuring some stunning landscapes:

Heading back towards Heraklion we stop in the village of Anogeia, which is home to the Xylouris family, which has several great musicians.  Starting with the most contemporary member, singer and Cretan laoto player Giorgos 'George' Xylouris, also known as Psarogiogis.  When touring with his father composer and Cretan lyra player Antonis (known as Psarantonis) in Australia he met Australian drummer Jim White and together they formed Xylouris White combining  traditional Cretan sounds with free jazz and avant rock.  Giorgios now spends time between Australia and Crete.  Here is a song from their 2018 album Mother called Only Love:

And here is some archival footage of 3 members of the Xylouris family playing together:

Father Antonis, known as Psarantonis, was born in 1939 and is still active.  He is known for his distinct gravelly voice.  Here is a thought provoking piece by him called Greenhouse Effect:

Cretan laoto player Yiagos Hairetis is also from Anogeia.  He got together with English experimental harpist Maria-Christina Harper (great name for a harpist!) to form the duo Hairetis Harper to create a fusion of Cretan music and London avant-garde jazz.  Here is a song from their 2020 debut album Draft called Bell.  Note how all the men from the region appear to have long hair and a beard, I'd fit right in!

And that concludes our tour of Crete, next we'll hop around some of the other Greek islands.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.

Greece - Crete - Heraklion and the East

 Sadly there are no direct ferries from Cyprus to the Greek islands, but we'll just pretend there are as we arrive in Greece and hop around the islands.  I have been to Greece 3 times in my life, Greek food was the first 'ethnic' food I was exposed to as a kid as Greek restaurants became popular in Germany, and in the background you'd always hear the sound of a bouzouki and the soundtrack of Zorba the Greek.  My first big hitchhiking trip was to Greece with a friend in 1981.  In preparation for the trip and I did a trial hitchhike from Bremen to a place called Bad Segeberg, to see an open air concert of legends of Greek music Mikis Theodorakis and Maria Farantouri.

There will be more about those two much later, but we'll start on the Greek islands, beginning with the largest on Crete.  I stayed a week on the island once back in 1991 or 1992, and if I'll ever find the photos from that trip I'll stick one or two up here.  Crete is culturally a bit different from the rest of Greece, having been the cradle of Europe's first advanced civilisation in the Minoans from 2700 to 1400 BC.  It only became part of Greece in 1913.  The music of Crete is collectively known as Kritika.

Minoan art. photo credit: By Jebulon - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99294843

We begin our journey of Crete at the main entry point and capital Heraklion, where trailblazing folk group Chainides formed in 1990 by a group of students of Crete University.  They treat Cretan folk with respect as something very much alive rather than a thing of the past and have paved the way to a whole generation of young Cretan musicians.  Here is a song of theirs called To Syrto Toy Ouranou (The Wind's Sweep), which features on their 2005 double album O Giteftis Kai To Drakodonti:

Poet and musician twin brothers Michalis & Pantelis Kalogerakis were also born in Heraklion.  They match their own and other poetry, often spoken, to Rebetika influenced music collaborating with various other singers including Maria Farantouri.  Here is a song from their 2021 album Rempotika called Mona Zyga.  The singer is Lena Kitsopolo, but sadly I can't understand the words:

Ross Daly was actually born in King's Lynn in Norfolk, England in 1952, but he has made Crete, specifically the village of Achanes south of Heraklion, his home back in 1982, where he is now a highly regarded master of the Cretan lyra and where he has established the Labyrinth Musical Workshop.  He has travelled the world and worked together with musicians from all over the world, including Mongolia's Huun Hur Tu and musicians from Mali, having released over 35 albums.  Here is song from his latest, brand new album tin anixi perimenes - You Waited for Spring called Tsi mousikis i methi (Drunk by Music):

Bouzouki player Manolis Dimitrianakis was born in Mirtos, Crete and is well known for his traditional Rebetika around the country.  Here he is performing in his home village:

Stelios Petrakis (born 1975 in Sitia in Eastern Crete) first learned to play the Cretan Lyra aged 8 and counts Ross Daly as one of his early teachers.  He has now forged a successful career with various international collaborations and his own quartet.  Here is a piece from his highly acclaimed 2022 album Spondi called Maleviziodis with some impressive dancing:

We'll leave it here for the moment and explore the western half of the island next time.  It's been a while since my last post since I was travelling in real life and life has been busy in general.  As usual you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline Map.

Cyprus

 

Photo credit: By Joan - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6728097

Next we are taking the ferry from Türkiye over to Cyprus.  Cyprus is mostly known as a holiday destination given it's mild climate and beach resorts.  It only gained independence from Britain in 1963.  The 2 main ethnic groups on the island, the Greeks and the Turks, were at loggerheads about the future direction of the island, and following an invasion by Turkish troops in 1974 the island was effectively split in half by a UN patrolled buffer zone into the Turkish speaking north, which unilaterally declared independence, and the Greek speaking south.  Northern Cyprus is only recognised as a country by Türkiye.  There are ongoing efforts to reunite the 2 halves of the island.

Musically and culturally the 2 halves are of course also influenced by Türkiye and Greece respectively, although some musicians have started bridging the divide.  Our first stop in the North is the abandoned village of Achna (Düzce in Turkish), which is just north of the buffer zone.  After the Turkish invasion the predominantly Greek population de-camped a few miles south and rebuilt their village.  This is where young musician Vassilis Philippou claims to be from, although I suspect he was born in the Netherlands in 1991 and now lives back on the island.  He performs his own compositions, but very much in the traditional Cypriot style, incorporating both Greek and Turkish elements, sung mostly in the Cyrpiot Greek dialect.  Here is a live performance of part of his 2021 debut album Sol Aurorae - Ο Ήλιος της Αυκής:

Next we are heading to the divided capital of Cyprus, Nicosia.  Eastern Mediterranean Psychedelia band Buzz' Ayaz are 4 musicians from both sides of the divide headed by Antonis Antoniou.  They draw from the traditions of both sides with a fuzzed-out urban soundscape, dubby electronics, 70's psych organ and amplified folk organs to ritual beats of Greek and Anatolian melodicism.  Here is a song from their 2024 self-titled debut album called Efdji:

Avant folk band Monsieur Doumani is also headed by Antonis Antoniou and was founded in 2011 in Nicosia.  They fuse traditional Cypriot folk songs with contemporary elements and other world influences creating their own unique style singing about contemporary issues.  In 2019 they were awarded the best group award by Songlines Magazine and they regularly tour internationally.  Here is a song from their 2021 album Pissourin called Alavrostishiótis:

Another project by Antonis Antoniou is post-Rembetiko band  Trio Tekke, who were actually started in London.  They take the traditional Greek genre of Rembetiko (alternative spellings are available) to a new modern level, dragging it into the 21st century.  Here is the title song of their 2021 album Strovilos (Whirlwind): 

Greek-Cypriot vocalist and composer Vasiliki Anastasiou created the music ensemble and choir The Amalgamation Project to interpret traditional material from all over the Mediterranean and the Balkan peninsula.  Here is a song from her 2017 album named after the project called Patience:

That's it from Cyprus for now, next we are hopping over to the Greek islands, although in real life there don't seem to be any direct ferry options from Cyprus, but hey, this is just a virtual trip after all.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline Map. 

Türkiye - The Southeast & Northern Kurdistan

As we re-enter Türkiye, we also enter the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan.  There are no strictly defined borders to Kurdistan, but the ethnic group of Kurds are spread around south-eastern Türkiye, northern Iraq, north-western Iran and northern Syria.  They have their own music, culture and language and have for decades fought an on-going conflict to gain independence and/or greater autonomy within current national borders.  The PKK on the Turkish side has just announced a ceasefire as I write this.

First stop is a quick flying visit to Kars, where Metin Demiral of the band Café Türk spent part of his childhood.  We have met him previously in Switzerland, where his band was based, and you can check it out here.

Moving on to the village of Kiğı, where singer and tembur player Ali Doğan Gönültaş was born in the mid-1980's to a Kurdish family.  He showed early musical promise, and the family soon moved to Istanbul, where young Ali went on to study Archaeology and Cinema.  He joined various ensembles playing Kurdish music, before going solo and has toured internationally to great acclaim.  Here is a song from his 2022 album dedicated to his home town Kiğı called Entercîme:

Kurdish singer and musician Aynur Doğan was born in the small mountain town of Çemişgezek in 1975.  In 1992 she fled the conflict zone to Istanbul, where she faced bans for 'promoting division', discrimination and abuse for singing in Kurdish and even threats from right-wing and anti-Kurdish militia, which in turn led her to emigrate to the Netherlands.  Her stunning vocal style infuses traditional Kurdish folk with contemporary western influences and jazz.  She has become a vocal representative for the Kurdish people.  Here is a song from her 2024 album Rabe (Stand up or rise up) called Rabe Edlayê:

Wikipedia seems to be very confused about the birth place of singer and actress Bülent Ersoy.  It agrees with itself that she was born in 1952, but according to the English version she was either born in Siirt or Malatya, both in eastern Anatolia, but over 400km apart, and according to the Turkish version she was born in Istanbul.  We'll stick to Malatya, as it's the first place that comes up when you google her.  What is also not in question is that she was born and started performing as a man.  In 1981 she underwent gender alignment surgery in London, which got her banned under the military government at the time, who were trying to crack down on 'social deviance'.  Nowadays she is one of the most popular singers in Türkiye, known as Diva by her fans' singing in the Turkish Classical and Arabesque style.  Here is one of her biggest hits called Ümit Hırsızı (Hope Thief):

Kurdish wedding musician Tufan Derince was born in Diyarbakir in 1987. Now based in Rotterdam he plays an electrified baglama and performs at weddings around Europe and Turkey and has even appeared at an NPR Tiny Desk concert.  If you are not familiar with Kurdish wedding music, it's a bit like Jimi Hendrix on steroids and reincarnated in Kurdistan.  It's quite mind-blowing! I can't find any music recorded by him, but take in this short NPR concert and watch them bouncing up and down the sofa:

Also born in Diyarbakir in 1952 is Sufi musician Kudsi Ergüner for something a lot calmer.  He is considered a master of Mevlevi Sufi music, the branch of Sufism that was founded in Eastern Anatolia by the followers of the Persian poet Rumi. Ergüner is one of the best players of the Turkish Ney flute.  He produced a huge volume of recorded music and has collaborated with many different artists worldwide, including Peter Gabriel.  Here is a sample of his music and a fascinating snippet of how he chooses a reed to make his flute:

 

Just a hop and a skip away is the village of Urfa, where oud player Mehmet Polat was born in 1981.  Trained in Anatolian folk and Ottoman classical music, he has developed his own technique for a more contemporary sound incorporating his instrument in jazz ensembles.  He is now based in the Netherlands.  Here is the title track from his 2023 album Embodied Poetry:

Kurdish singer/songwriter Olcay Bayir was born in Gaziantep near the Syrian border, but she won't reveal her age.  As a teenager she moved to London with her family, where she went on to study operatic singing. She soon realised she preferred to give voice to the traditional music of her homeland.  She very much gives a contemporary twist to the music of the wider Anatolian region, singing in multiple languages, including Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian and Greek.  Her 2014 debut album Neva / Harmony was met with great critical acclaim.  Here is a song from that album called Melamet Hirkasi:

Finally we hit the Mediterranean coast once again in the city of Adana, where multi-instrumentalist and composer Omar Faruk Tekbilek was born in 1951.  He was an early musical protégé when he started working at his uncle's music store in exchange for music lessons.  He began with playing the kaval, a small diatonic flute, moved on to the Ney flute, the zurna, an oboe-like double reed instrument and finally the baglama and the oud.  At the age of 12 he turned professional and at the age of 16 he moved to Istanbul with his brother, where they became sought after session musicians.  In the 1970's he began touring internationally and on a tour of the USA he met his future wife and stayed there in 1976.

His influences initially were very much the folk music of Anatolia, but after discovering Sufism and after an encounter with electronic musician Brian Keane he really found his own style combining Sufi music and Anatolian instruments with contemporary electronic ambient sounds, for which he is known to this day.  Here's a track from his 2016 album Love Is My Religion called Barefoot Dervish:

That concludes our virtual tour of Türkiye, next we are slowly making our way west again, beginning with a quick hop over to Cyprus.  In the meantime, as usual, you follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Armenia - Yerevan & the Diaspora

 

Photo credit: By Սէրուժ Ուրիշեան (Serouj Ourishian) - Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51469965

We arrive in Yeravan, the capital city of Armenia in the shadow of Mount Ararat, although the peak where Noah's ark is said to have been stranded is actually across the border in Türkiye. 

First up we meet the Gurdjieff Ensemble, which was established here in 2008 by Lebanese born Armenian Levon Eskenian.  They named themselves after philosopher, mystic and folk music collector George Gurdjieff, who died in 1949 and covers much of the music he unearthed arranged to traditional instruments of the region, including of course the duduk.  Here is an introductory video to their 2015 album Komitas:

The Naregatsi Orchestra also traces its origins to 2008 as an off-spring of the Naregatsi Art Institute in Yeravan.  The 30-head ensemble also recites traditional material on traditional instruments, but also incorporate western classical pieces. Here is a piece from their 2022 album Nor Shunch called Eshkehmed: 

Duduk player Vardan Grigoryan was born in Yeravan in 1971.  He has been part of a number of ensembles.  In 2022 he released his first international solo album called In the Shadow of the Song.  Here is an emotional live rendition of the opening track My Heart Broke Through performed in the aftermath of the 2018 terror attack on the Christmas market in Strassbourg, France:

9 years ago composer and duduk player Sar Kamler was a musical illiterate and couldn't even read music.  Growing up in Yerevan he was always fascinated by the sounds of his homeland, but it was not until he emigrated to Toronto, Canada, that he picked up the duduk and found himself a mentor in Georgy Minasov.  His relatively late entry into music allowed him to take a fresh approach fusing the haunting sound of the duduk with other influences including western classical music and even funk as in the track below.  His debut album Butterfly: Colours of Armenian Duduk is listed as being released as 2027, but is already available, making it the first album from the future featured here!  He composed all the music on the album himself.  Here is a track from the album called Funky Sar:

And talking about Samler's mentor, duduk player Georgy Minasov (1933-2020) was actually brought up in Kazakhstan, but moved to Yerevan in 1983.  He graduated from Baku Music College and the Azerbaijani music form of Mugham influenced his style.  He not only performed and recorded, but taught a whole generation of duduk players and even invented a new duduk that enabled players to add an extra octave to their repertoire.  Here is a song from his 2022 compilation album Folk Songs called Qamancha:

I don't know much about singer Gevorg Margaryan, apart from the fact that he is based in Yerevan.  He describes himself as a folk singer, but he mixes his Armenian folk songs with electronic accompaniment and dance rhythms.  Hence fittingly the name of his 2021 album is Electrofolk, which is just what it says on the tin.  Here is a track from the album called Hoy Nargiz:

Finally we pick a couple of artists from the vast Armenian diaspora, who were born in exile.  First up is avant-garde folk and jazz multi-instrumentalist and singer Arto Tunçboyaciyan, who was born in Istanbul in 1957 and later emigrated to the USA.  He fronts his Armenian Navy Band and has collaborated with hundreds of other acts including Chet Baker and Joe Zawinul, as well as his elder brother Onno.  Throughout his career he stayed true to his Armenian roots though, but open to many other influences including Anatolian and Greek music and of course jazz.  

In 1996 his brother Onno tragically lost his life in a plane crash, the grief of which inspired Arto to write 2 albums, including the 2000 release Every Day is a New Life.  Here is a tune from the album called I Miss You Every Moment My Brother:

And here he is with his Armenian Navy Band with the song Here Is to You Ararat from their 2006 album How Much Is Yours:

The grandmother of singer Mariam Matossian fled the Armenian genocide in 1915 and settled in Vancouver, Canada.  Mariam herself grew up speaking Armenian at home and with the songs her grandmother had taught her.  In 1998 she was the first member of her family to set foot in Armenia again after her grandmother's escape.  She subsequently released 2 albums of Armenian folk songs and dedicated her life to helping impoverished street children in Yerevan.  Here is a song from her 2007 album In The Light called Yelar Sarov:

That's it from Armenia, next we are heading back into south-eastern Türkiye, if they let us in after I mentioned the 'genocide'.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Armenia - The North

 Armenia has a long yet turbulent history.  First established as far back as 860 BC it has been occupied by various neighbouring powers over the centuries including the Ottoman, Persian and Russian empires.  Arguably the darkest period of its history was the Armenian Genocide during World War I, where large parts of the population where killed or displaced by Ottoman forces, an event that modern-day Türkiye denies happened.  Even in its current incarnation since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has been embroiled in conflict with its neighbour Azerbaijan over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, where there was a majority of ethnic Armenians.  With the support of the Armenian army the region briefly declared the de-facto independent state of Artsakh in 1991, but has been retaken by Azerbaijan in 2023, leading to the exodus of the Armenians living there.

The land borders to both Azerbaijan and Türkiye remain closed, but we'll ignore that fact for the purpose of this blog.  Despite all those struggles over literally millennia, Armenians have retained their own identity, with their own language, script, religion and culture, and because of the conflicts there is a large worldwide diaspora continuing to keep the traditions alive.

We start our virtual musical journey in the centre of the country in the village of Solak, where Armenia's most famous proponent of their national instrument the duduk, Djivan Gasparyan was born in 1928.  A duduk is a simple wooden oboe-like instrument, with a haunting sound.  Gasparyan played for the likes of Stalin and Nelson Mandela, collaborated with stars like Peter Gabriel, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ludovico Einaudi, the Kronos Quartet, Brian May, Annie Lennox... the list goes on.  He also composed film music, including the score for Gladiator and Blood Diamond.  He died in 2021 leaving behind a massive legacy, which I can't even begin to scratch the surface of.  Here's a tune called They Took My Love Away, which features on his 2013 album Moon Shines At Night: 

We have already met young Duduk player Arsen Petrosyan as part of the Turkish, Georgian and Armenian group A.G.A. Trio.  He was born and raised in the town of Charentsavan and is one of the up-and-coming stars on the scene, having completed a Masters degree in music at the Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan in 2016.  Here is a track from his 2021 solo album Hokin Janapar (My Soul's Journey) called I Will Die for the Wind of The Mountains with some spectacular mountain scenery in the shots.:

Jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan was born in the north-western city of Gyumri in 1987.  He now resides in the USA and his style is very much influenced by American Jazz as well as Armenian folk.  His 2018 EP For Gyumri is meant as an extension to his album An Ancient observer and meant as an homage to his home town. Here is a tune from the album called Rays of light:

That's it from the north of Armenia for the moment, next we are heading for the capital Yerevan.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual journey on my tripline map.

Azerbaijan - The South & Nagorno-Karabakh

 Before leaving Baku we stop in the neighbourhood of Surakhani where singer Aygün Beyler (sometimes transcribed as Baylar) was born in 1975. Sadly she died last year of breast cancer.  She was another child prodigy, joining the Azerbaijan State Children's Philharmonic at the age of 13.  She was known for her powerful and emotional style of Mugham singing and her characteristic grey suit and flat cap.  Here is one of her more upbeat songs called Qarabağ, set in a traditional style wedding presumably in the disputed Karabakh region. You can hear more on her one 2006 international release for a Spanish label, Entre El Cielo Y La Tierra. Mugam De Azerbaiyán. Betwen Haven And Earth. Mugam De Azrbaiyán 

Next we are heading to the far south of Azerbaijan to the region of Lerik near the Iranian border.  The remote mountainous area is famous for the exceptional longevity of its mostly ethnic Talysh population.  According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest person ever to have been recorded came from there, dying at the age of 167 in 1973.  Grammy award winning American music producer Ian Brennan has made it his mission to make field recordings of some of the most marginalised people in the world, and went in the middle of the Covid pandemic to visit the area and record traditional and original songs from ordinary people, mostly over 100 years old.  He published the music in 2023 as The Oldest Voice in the World - Thank You for Bringing Me Back to the Sky.  It's never going to be a chart topper, but it offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of people who are marginalised not only as an ethnic minority, but as old people too.  None of the singers wanted to have their names mentioned, none of them are professional singers, but shepherds and farmers, telling their stories in song.  They live without indoor plumbing and only intermittent electricity.  Here is the opening song from the album called My Life Is Good, It Is Like A Flower:

Next we are heading into the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which was taken by Armenia during a 1993 war and re-taken by Azerbaijan in 2020.  Nowhere is the futility of this conflict more evident than in the ghost city of Jabrayil, which had been completely destroyed by Armenian forces during the  1993 war and still abandoned to this day, bar a military installation.  Mugham singer Zahid Quliyev (sometimes spelled Guliyev) was born here in 1963.  He performs solo as well as part of a trio, the Mugam Ensemble of Jabbar Karygdy.  His music is difficult to obtain internationally, but here is a TV performance of his:

Mugham singer Gochag Askarov was born a few miles further north in the village of Ghouchahmedli in 1978.  His family had to flee the area following the Armenian invasion and he has now settled in Baku.  He sings in the traditional style, but also mixes it up sometimes with some jazz as on the collaboration with French Jazz singer Pierre de Trégomain on their 2017 album Mugham Souls.  Here is a short live concert of the 2 of them:

Another few kilometres to the north is Fuzuli, where the first of 2 musicians swapping the tar for the electric guitar comes from.   Rəhman Məmmədli was born there in 1961.  The arrival of Czechoslovakian Jolana guitars in the country in the 1960's and 70's transformed the music scene, with many young musicians combining traditional styles with psychedelic surf sound.  He earned himself the nickname "The Man With the Singing Fingers".  Here's a song from the 2024 album Azerbaijani Gitara volume 2 called Qoca Dağlar:

Recognised as one of the best tar players Ramiz Guliyev was born in the village of Karakend in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1947.  At the age of 7 he was gifted his first tar by his uncle, who could no longer play due to an injury he suffered during World War II.  He went on to become a master of this traditional instrument and passed on his talent to his son Ayub, with whom he often duets.  He plays both traditional improvisational style as well as adapting the tar to play western classical music combining with piano or symphony orchestras.  Here he plays a tune from his 2013 album Dialogues With the Tar called Xaric Segah:

Mugham singer Nezaket Teymurova was born in the village of Alimaddli in 1972.  Another honoured artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan, she has won multiple awards.  Here is a song featuring on her 2012 album Mugham called Tasnif and Chahargah:

Finally we are heading for the village of Kosalar, where another artist who swapped the tar for the electric guitar to play Azerbaijani folk.  His music has also recently been reissued by Belgian label Les Disques de Bongo. Rüstǝm Quliyev, was born in 1969, and sadly died prematurely of lung cancer in 2005.  Here's a song from the 2020 album Azerbaijani Gitara called Baş Sarıtel:

That's it from Azerbaijan, next we are heading over to Armenia.  As usual, you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline Map.

Azerbaijan - Baku

 

Picture credit: By Sefer azeri - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122625891

We arrive in Azerbaijan's capital and commercial hub Baku on the shores of the Caspian Sea.  Here the traditional music styles of the country often get blended with other influences.  

First we meet Folk fusion band Rast, who combine their traditional Mugham with Jazz, pop and sometimes rock. They were established in 1992 with lead singer Sevdah Alekperzadeh.  The name Rast refers to a musical modal system in Mugham music.  Here is a cut from a concert for their 20th anniversary.  For more check out their 2014 album Rast Dünyası.

Jazz pianist, singer and composer Aziza Mustafa Zadeh was born in Baku in 1969.  She came from a musical family, her father also being a pianist and her mother a singer.  They discovered her musical talent when she was only 8 years old.  Her style is more pure jazz with only some hints of Mugham, which mostly shows when she is singing.  She is now based in Germany.  Here is the instrumental title track to her 2016 album Dance of Fire:

More traditional is singer Sevda Alekbarzadeh, who was born in Baku in 1977.  She is classically trained including in opera and jazz.  She incorporates some of the latter into her Mugham compositions.   She is known for her powerful voice.  Here is the opening track from her 2012 album Worlds of Love called Ele deme (Don't talk that way):

The career of singer Azerin began at the tender age of 5, when she became a soloist of the Azerbaijan State Television and Radio.  She was born in Baku in 1971.  She combines tradtitional mugham with elements of pop and Jazz.  Here is a song from her 2015 album Yüreklerde Biriz called Küçelere Su Serpmişem:

Finally another female singer called Aygün Kazımova, born 1971 in Baku, who veers more towards Azerbaijani flavoured pop with some Latin thrown in as well as, like in the video below, a sprinkling of Riverdance.  She is one of the bestselling artists in the country, hence her inclusion here.  Here is a song called Я и Ты from her bestselling 200 album Aygün:

That's it from Baku for the moment, we'll explore the rest of the country next.  Meanwhile you can follow my virtual tour on my Tripline map.