f88


The Kalan label has been synonymous with quality Turkish roots music for 20 years (‘kalan’ means ‘the rest’ – music from all the traditions: folk, folk-rock and classical from all the ethnicities that form Turkish culture, and the innovators – music overlooked by the more mono-cultural and safe Turkish main- stream music biz). It’s a flagship label which ranges widely musically and every release has a commitment to the artists’ music, superb sound, and quality packaging with good art- work and design, lyrics and notes.


However, Turkey and the Turkish diaspora has so far been a big enough and fairly cul- turally sealed market (now shrinking rapidly due to music sharing piracy) for Kalan to have only ever shown a random and patchy com- mitment to English sleevenotes, let alone lyric translations. A shame, as the listenability and vibrancy of Turkish musics mean that Aynur, Sezen Aksu, Taksim Trio and Selim Sesler could be just the tip of a wedge waiting to open up our listening habits. For a non-Turkish speaker without notes and lyrics, the albums remain partly culturally opaque and mysterious, requiring some study or time on the internet attempting to shed light and unlock further.


Although it’s the twangy curlicues and


rhythmic riffing of the baglama saz that draw many people to Turkish music, the longer- necked larger-bodied lute, the tanbur, used in Turkish classical music has an equally dis- tinctive and perhaps even more attractive sound. It has a more rounded timbre with less attack and treble, and a resonant yet fleet lyrical quality that suits a solo or small group format. Murat Aydemir is probably the fore- most tanbur player of his generation. He co- leads the acclaimed classical/folk Incesaz group with Derya Turkan, while also being involved in several other musical groups and teaching. Murat Aydemir Trio (Kalan 527) comprises himself, jazz double bassist Volkan Hürsever and Iranian percussionist Reza Samani, and for their self-titled album they are joined for one long track apiece by two exceptional and acclaimed singers: Ahmet Erdogdular and Iranian, Mahyar Shaodorvan. The trio’s instrumental sound is a beautiful thing – the woody sinuous propulsion of the plucked double bass and also its deep bowed tones richly fill out the sound, yet respond with acuity in the moment to the tanbur, and tombak and daf percussion. Although tanbur is the main melody instrument and also improvises the taksims that come before some pieces, this is a trio where each part is integral, inter connected and alive to the pos- sibilites. It’s classical Turkish ensemble music with some folk input – such as the sometimes dance-like Kurdish pieces: Tasvir, Kürdi and Li – yet combined with the sensibilities of a top- flight jazz trio who know each other well enough to follow every twist and turn – a group sound (not solos and back-up). Ahmet Erdogdular’s vocal on Halveti Ilahisi is a thing of wonder, somewhere between the con- trolled improvised rigour of a muezzin and the outward reaching ecstasy of a qawwali soloist. It is tempting to say something similar about the second astonishing vocal track – the Azeri song Naz Barı – by Mahyar Shaodor- van, but this is a more keening emotionally heart-on-sleeve improvisation with a more visceral effect and both delicacy and power from the Iranian master. A fine album made superb by these two vocals.


delectable vocals, this is an album for all music lovers, and an unmissable one for harp enthusiasts.


Ertan Tekin is a legendary session musi- Murat Aydemir


Erol Mutlu was a key member of Kardes Türküler for the first three albums, as a baglama player and sometime arranger. His first solo album Ates Düser Sarkılara (Kalan 535) (Songs As The Fire Dies possibly) concen- trates on his arrangements, compositions and voice more than his baglama skills. His voice is mid-ranged, pleasant and emotionally engaged, but not exceptional, so it’s a real bonus that he has one of the most distinctive and exciting male Turkish singers, Ahmet Aslan guesting on one track, the album’s highlight Dersim – a powerful and atmo- spheric song referring to the province notori- ous for the 1937-8 rebellion and massacre of Alevi Kurds (although whether the tradition- al Zazaki lyrics predate that is unclear to me). It’s certainly music of brooding intensity but strange beauty too. Kurdish star Aynur also crops up, as an understated joint vocalist on the Kurdish language song Denge Strana Dicleye. It is Erol’s singing though that really shines here, another highlight. The whole album has much variation in instrumental colour – accordeon, Spanish guitar, string arrangements, a little bit of kit drums – along with the usual sublime staples of selpe (fin- gerstyle) baglama, duduk, ney and fretless guitar. Too many songs are over-arranged with strings, recurring iffy keyboard washes, or drumkit for my taste to recommend this unreservedly. Erol remains someone to watch, and there is plenty to like here.


The aptly titled Elisi (Kalan 534) (Handi-


craft) by harpists Sirin Pancaroglu & Meriç Dönük is a rare thing: an album of Turkish music performed on two classical harps (not in classical style fortunately), with hand per- cussion by the superb Istanbul-based Jarrod Cagwin. If any harp players or enthusiasts have read this far, then without doubt hunt this one down – it’s potentially special and inspirational for you. There are certain simi- larities in sound with the qanun plucked zither used in Turkish music and equally there are some suprisingly Celtic overtones here and there. At its best when the rhythms get tight in a tumbling seven-time danceable piece like Hicaz Mandira, in Senlik Raksı with some great wiry bowed Azeri kamança fid- dle, or in Al Fadimen with Dilek Türkan’s


cian. One of Turkey’s very top duduk and mey (Turkish type of duduk) players, he’s graced innumerable recordings (including, it some- times seems, almost half of Kalan’s releases as part of their crack team). His playing has lift- ed tracks and songs into the sublime time after time, and just seeing his name on an album’s credits is a good omen. As he puts it on this his first solo album Demans (Demen- tia): “when those who are laughing begin to drown in the tears of those who are crying, the journey of the individual and the crowd toward dementia is unavoidable, unstop- pable” – his words carry the sort of freight that only a unique instrument such as the duduk can bear! Expectations are high then, and it’s a bit disappointing that most of these tunes (all instrumental bar one – Anam, Asik Veysel’s original vocals wonderfully reset) are prey to keyboard washes or string arrange- ments that fulfil the role of the drone tradi- tionally provided by another duduk. With a benevolent eye, these can be viewed as film score type touches rather than classy new-age spa muzak sounds, and in any event Ertan’s playing needs no concessions. The man is a preternatural musical force and interpreter, his playing will touch everyone from fellow musicians to your friends, family and even your pet nightingale. I asked to hear this in a hip rock and jazz independent record shop near Istanbul, and while I was disillusioned with the keyboards and strings, it was clear that everyone in the shop was happily drawn into real emotion and reverie. For someone starting out on Turkish duduk music, Vuslat (also on Kalan) by Suren Asaduryan And Yan- sımalar is the place to start. Demans though,despite its failings, is still an essential duduk album. Ertan is also a fine zurna play- er: its reedy piercing sound behind dance pieces such as Dügün (a celebratory feast), the uplifting massed zurnas on the onward progress of Lo Siwano-Çoban, the wailing zurnas on Anam, and the buzzing ones on the gorgeous tune Amedi, add a lot of variety amongst the duduk and mey pieces. High- lights of this album include: Keskem Bu Ellere Gelmez Olaydım accompanied on baglama and percussion and arranged by Arif Sag, and Bir Nefes Ask (Love In A Breath) with the fine duo Yansımalar – it’s no coincidence that these are free of keyboards and strings. Nev- ertheless an album full of the best duduk, mey and zurna you are likely to hear, har- nessed to some subtle tunes to melt the heart. Music to keep returning to.


Grup Yorum predate Kalan by a few years but have been associated with the label from its beginnings. Their name translates as ‘Commentary Group’, recognising their music’s social and political commitment. The DVD Istanbul Inönü Stadyumu Konseri (Kalan 09) has the group celebrating their 25 years, live at Istanbul’s Inönü football stadi- um: a vast venue and packed to the rafters with enthusiastic fans. The sheer number of fans they have is the first surprise. A political- ly engaged group whose members have often been in prison for their beliefs, they are massively popular – it’s hard to conceive of something similar in the UK’s disengaged or marginalised music scenes. The second sur- prise is that I’d assumed they would have


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100