Albania

 I had a trip booked for last autumn of a tour of the western Balkans, which included a few days in Albania.  Sadly due to my health issues, I had to cancel and still have not been to Albania and it remains on my bucket list. For a long time the country was shut off from the outside world due to it's particularly strict communist regime that aligned with China and Maoism, rather than the Soviet Union.  Since the fall of the regime in 1989, the country has slowly opened up, but still feels like an undiscovered corner of Europe.  Their language also seems impenetrable to outsiders and isn't closely related to any other languages.

We start in the south with Albanian super-group Saz-iso, whose members hail from the cultural centres of Përmet (the singers) and Korçë (the instrumentalists) respectively.  These two historic cities are home of a musical genre known as Saze, often referred to as Albanian Blues.  Saz-iso is a collective of the finest folk musicians of the region and they are currently fundraising to release their second album.  Here's the opening track to their 2017 debut album At Least Wave Your Handkerchief at Me - The Joys and Sorrows of Southern Albanian Song. The song is called Tana, as performed on Later with Jools Holland:

Next we are heading to the capital Tirana and we start with Balkan brass band Fanfara Tirana, who started life back in 2002 from a group of friends who were previously in the Albanian Army Band.  They are very much in the same vein as Balkan brass bands such as Fanfare Ciocarlia from Romania and have had some international success.  Here is a live version from their 2007 debut album Albanian Wedding called Medeterranea (At First Sight):

The Tirana-Tirona Allstars were founded in 2020 to celebrate Tirana's 100th anniversary as the capital of Albania.  They dedicated themselves to preserving the historic emotional folk-pop and urban modalities of Tirana.  The result was the album Tirana 100 which was released in 2021 and here is a song from the album called Besh çaje Besh (sit down girl):

Cellist and composer Redi Hasa was born in Tirana in 1977. He was born into a musical family and initially studied music in Tirana, before fleeing the civil war in 1997, taking him to Lecce in Southern Italy. There he incorporated his Balkan traditions with those of Puglia as well as classical elements and collaborating with the likes of Ludovico Einaudi amongst many others, including Robert Plant. His debut solo album Stolen Cello was released in 2020 and this is a tune from it called Seasons Going By:

Jazz singer and composer Elina Duni was born in Tirana in 1981, but she moved with her family to Switzerland aged 10. She studied singing and composition at the University of Bern, but from 2004 onwards her main influence became Albanian folk music, when she formed her own quartet. Here is a song from her 2012 album Matanë Malit (Across the Mountain) called Ka Një Mot (loosely translated as 'it's been a year and a half'):

Heading north we arrive at the city of Shkodra (or Shkodër) on the shores of Lake Shkodra. Here we find a distinct style of music known as Aheng, which is traditionally performed at weddings and is reminiscent of the Slav Sevdalinka style, which is prevalent all over the Balkans. In 2021 an ensemble was formed, the Orkestra Shkodra, with the express purpose to preserve this music and make it better known outside the region. Here is an extract from their 2022 debut album Like Nightingales in the Spring. Sadly the leader of the group Agim Molla has since passed away.

Also originally from Shkoder is folktronica duo Shkodra Elektronike. The duo was formed in 2019 by Kolë Laca and Beatriçe Gjergji, who both grew up in Italy, but had a longing for the music of their home city.  However they took some of traditional elements and added their own electronic twist on it.  This song is their 2024 single called Vaj si kenka ba dynjaja in collaboration with Fanfara Tirana:

So much from Albania, next we are heading into Montenegro.  As usual you follow my virtual ramblings on my tripline map.

Greece -The Northwest

Next we are heading west again to the town of Aridaia in Central Macedonia, where half of the woodwind duo Kolida Babo comes from.  Sokrates Votskos and Harris P both play the Armenian duduk as well as numerous other instruments including clarinet, saxophone and electronics.  They combine the traditions of Armenia and Thrace with modern electronica and free jazz to produce a highly improvised style.  Here is a live performance of them, for more check out their 2019 self-titled debut album:

Singer/songwriter Alkyone was born and raised in Edessa in the mountains of Central Macedonia.  She explores indie songwriting with cinematic textures and folk influences, shaped by growing up in nature and her father's love of folk music.  She doesn't appear to have released any full albums yet, but here is a recent single of hers called Desert Song: 

Composer, singer and saxophonist Giorgos Katsaros was born in 1934 on the island of Corfu.  He is mostly known for Rebetika compositions for films, but also collaborated with the likes of Nana Mouskouri and Yannis Theodoridis.  Here is a song featuring on the 2004 Rough Guide Rebetika compilation called Mes' Tou Manthou Ton Teke:

Finally we stop in the village of Delvinaki, close to the Albanian border.  This is where clarinettist Petroloukas Chalkias was born in 1934.  He died just last year.  He was a traditional musician upholding the music from Greece's northwest, but was not afraid to mix it up with international collaborations with musicians from India (Rakesh Chaurasia and Rabindra Goswami) as well as the Cretan lyra of Ross Daly and Malian Kora player Ballaké Sissoko.  His last recording was in 2023 with young Epiro Lauto player Vassilis Kostas, a 2-part album called The Soul Of Epirus.  Here is a live version of the album:

That is finally it from Greece, which dragged on a bit due to some health issues I had over the past year.  Next we'll head into Albania.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my tripline map

Greece - Thessaloniki

 We arrive in Greece's second city Thessaloniki, the capital of the Macedonia region.

photo credit: By Ymblanter - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128512358

Guitarist Dimitris Mistakidis is based here, not sure where he was born around 1970.  He interprets Rembetiko just using his guitar and voice.  His 1996 debut album 16 Rebetika Tragoudhia Paigmena Me Kithara came out as a bonus CD on the Rough Guide to Greek Café.  Whilst the following song

Στην Υπογα

didn't feature on that album, it is played in a Greek Café:

Singer & guitarist Savina Yannatou was actually born in Athens in 1959, but her musical home appears to be Thessaloniki, as the name of her band Primavera en Saloniko suggests.  Her repertoire mixes Greek folk with jazz, Sephardic and Mediterranean influences and even throat singing.  Here are some live extracts from her 2025 album Watersong:

Singer/songwriter Nikos Papazoglu was born in Thessaloniki in 1948 and sadly died prematurely of cancer in 2011.  In the 1970's he moved to Germany to break into the international market and formed his band Zilotis.  In 1976 he returned to Greece where his music started to gain wide recognition.  His following extended to all over Europe and the USA, becoming known for his distinctive red bandana and his playing of the baglamas.  Here is the title track from his 2005 album Maissa Selini:

 Singer Sofia Papazoglou (no relation to my knowledge) was actually born in Brussels in 1972, but moved to Thessaloniki with her family when she was still young.  She started singing traditional and contemporary folk in the clubs of Thessaloniki during her student years, moving on later to tour internationally and release several solo albums.  Here is a song which features on the 2010 compilation The Rough Guide to Greek Café called Rixte Sto Yiali Farmaki (pour medicine into the glass):

And that's it from Thessaloniki for now, next we'll explore the rest of the north-eastern part of Greece.  In the meantime, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings 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.

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.

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.

Georgia - Tbilisi Part II

 Continuing our exploration of the music of Tbilisi, we are including some more contemporary sounds.  Jazz fusion band The Shin was actually founded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1998, but by Georgian exiles.  They combine jazz with funk, flamenco and a distinct Georgian flavour with some polyphonic singing. Their name actually translates as home or going home rather than having anything to do with the lower part of the leg.  Here is a live version of a track from their 2006 album EgAri called Chips on the Water:

Singer/songwriter and producer Tamada combines Georgian folk with electronic dance music in a rather unusual blend.  His real name is Lasha Chapel, but his pseudonym apparently is the name for a Georgian table host or toast master. He is originally from Tbilisi, but is based in Berlin these days. Here is a song from his 2024 album 9 Deadly Sins For Tamada called Jinit. 

Georgian American singer and guitarist Ilusha Tsinadze was born in Georgia, but emigrated to the USA when he was 8 years old.  Now based in Brooklyn, he combines Georgian folk with American folk idioms, singing in Georgian and accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar and occasionally banjo.  Here is the opening track to his 2019 album Yes & No called Shenma Survilma Damlia:

Folk rock group Mgzavrebi we founded in Tbilisi in 2006 by actor Gigi Dedalamazishvili, combining Georgian folk infused with contemporary rock.  After a number of line-up changes the current band consists of 7 members.  Although singing mostly in Georgian, but also in Russian and Ukrainian, they were particularly popular in Russia, but since Russia's invasion of Ukraine they have cancelled all concerts there.   The name of the band means Travellers.  Here's a song from their 2023 album Kamara called Waltz, which they used to accompany a short film on the loss of a loved one:

That's it from Tbilisi for today, next we are going to listen to the music of southern Georgia.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map. 

Türkiye - Ankara

 

Amkara Castle.  Photo credit: By Bernard Gagnon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37705866

We arrive in Ankara, the capital city of Türkiye in the geographical centre of the country.  It is only the second largest city after Istanbul with 5.1 million inhabitants.

This is where musician and composer Erkan Oğur was born in 1954.  He is a pioneer of the fretless classical guitar, which he invented in 1976 to obtain more detailed notes for traditional Turkish music.  He is also a master on other string instruments such as the baglama and oud.  He has collaborated widely with musicians in Turkey and even blues musicians in the USA and is still active to this day.  Here is a song he plays with Derya Türka called Zahit Bizi Tan Eyleme, which he recorded with İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu on their 2000 album Anadolu Beşik:

Oud player and teacher Gülçin Yahya Kaçar was born in Ankara in 1966 to a family originating in Greece, which was part of the great population exchange.  Her family discovered her musical talent early on and she went on to study music and the oud at university, specialising in Classical Turkish music.  She is mainly teaching the instrument these days and has written books on it, rather than being a major recording artist.  But here is her latest single called Gülizâr Sirto:

I don't know where or when singer and pianist Süeda Çatakoğlu was born, but she now resides in Boston, where she is developing her skills in jazz composition, jazz piano and contemporary writing and production at Berklee College of Music.  She combines the jazz elements with Turkish folk as on her 2022 album Süeda Sings Sezen, where she interprets some songs from the legendary Sezen Aksu, which I mentioned in my last post. She is accompanied by a host of international guests on the album and here is a song from the album called El Gibi:

 Finally we are making a song and dance for folk music group the Radio Ankara Music Ensemble.  Don't know much about them, except what it says on the tin, and that they are performing traditional folk music from various regions of the country.  Here is a song from their 1996 album Songs and Dances of Turkey called Folk Song from Adiyaman:

That's it from Ankara, next we are heading to the northeast of the country and the Black Sea coast.  Until then you can check out my virtual travels on my Tripline map.

Türkiye - Istanbul Part III

 Continuing in the metropolis that is Istanbul we next encounter the Taksim Trio.  The term Taksim apparently means improvisation.  The 3 members are each masters of their instruments, namely the clarinet played by Hüsnü Şenlendirici, Ismail Tunçbilek on the baglama and Aytaç Doğan on the qanun.  There music is a blend of avant-garde jazz and Arabesque and exudes a beautifully atmospheric sound.  Here's a tune from their 2007 self-titled album called Gözüm:

Folk singer Çiğdem Aslan was born in Istanbul in 1980 to a Kurdish-Alevi background.  She sings in a variety of languages and styles including Rebetika, but also folk styles from various parts of Anatolia and Sephardic music.  She is known for her rich, earthy voice.  Here is a song from her 2016 album A Thousand Cranes called Tourna:

The DEM Trio is a group of musicians highlighting the sounds of the bağlama and tambur string instruments and the mixed cultural heritage of the city of Istanbul.  Occasionally they record as a an extended group, the DEM Ensemble as on their 2013 album Erguvan, named after a small pink flower symbolising Istanbul.  Here is a tune from that album, performed as a trio only, called Sabahın seherinde ötüyor kuşlar (Birds are singing in the morning):

Also drawing on the Rebetiko or Rembetiko tradition is the orchestra Café Aman Istanbul, who were founded in 2009.  They are reviving the spirit of the Café Aman taverns that were a symbol of the melting-pot culture of the Ottoman Empire of a century ago.  Here is a song from their 2012 album Fasl-ı Rembetiko called Apo To Vradi Os To Proi:

We already came across percussionist Burhan Öçal in Thrace playing with the Thracian Allstars.  Before that he led the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble.  Here is the opening track from their 1998 album Sultan's Secret Door called Mahur Oriental:

Indie folk band Zeyn'el draw their inspiration from the Anatolian troubadors of the 14th to 16th century, giving them a modern twist and touch upon their relevance to today, talking about prejudice and injustice.  Here is the opening song from their 2013 album Divan & Divine called Elâ gözlü pirim geldi with some nice scenery from Istanbul:

The Kolektif Istanbul focus on the musical cross between Anatolian cultures, Balkan wedding music, Jazz and funk.  With traditional string instruments and a fair peppering of brass they kick up quite a storm.  Here is the opening track from their 2008 album Krivoto called Makedonsko: 

That's it from Istanbul for now, even though there are many more artists I could mention.  Next we are travelling down the west coast of Turkey, in the meantime you follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.  

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