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song a unique singer and interpretation. The core band create a gorgeous sound of inter- leaving entwining clarinet, oud, violin, kanun and subtle double bass, and the hand percus- sion is very alive and responsive – bubbling and driving the music forward, so that howev- er heart-tugging the melody, there is a joie- de-vivre. Roza Eskenazi’s legacy is represented strongly and there are also three very brief audio clips of her from Greek TV in 1978, which inform or inspire following songs.
Of the guests, Socratis Sinopoulos is the most featured, enriching four tracks with his extraordinary classical lyra playing, making exceptionally compelling contributions to already beautifully gifted group playing. His equally talented wife Katerina Papadopoulou sings the album’s opener: Eskenazi’s (transl) In The Tavern With The Barrel Organ with an agile dusky vocal of emotional pull that is sur- rounded by pleasing darbuka rattle and danc- ing clarinet and violin lines that answer and comment on the verses, and all grounded by bassy oud and double bass.
The album maintains variety and inter- est throughout by swapping between male and female singers, and between faster paced and slower tempo songs. Thus the next song Tatavliani Tsachpina is slower with Socratis’ beautiful bowing entwining with a gorgeous male vocal from Giorgos Matthaiou, before rattling into the uptempo nimble stop-starting pulse-driven pairing of Nikolaki Mou with its fabulous Amanes (transl ‘Alas!’) improvised vocal section (whence the Café Aman style gets its name), including male and female vocal over just percussion. This is coupled with the Istanbul classic (transl) Telegraph Wires sung beauti- fully by Kolektif Istanbul’s talented singer Asli Do˘gan to a lively tight-knit ensemble sound – an album highlight.
Due to its nature the album’s a string of standout songs and performances, but a par- ticular favourite is Turkish born, Greek resi- dent Dilek Koç’s delectable take on Daktilo (Typewriter). Her exceptional voice deserves to be better known among world music fans.
Other wonderful guest contributions by
fRoots-friendly names such as Martha Mavroidi, members of Apsilies, and Brenna MacCrimmon, among many others of equal talent, set the seal on this wonderful group and their fresh sound. They know their roots and put their own stamp on this music, mov- ing it onward with nothing lost and some- thing added.
www.loxandramusic.gr Loxandra
Happily that last sentence also applies to Café Aman Istan- bul. In contrast their album is that of a
well played-in fixed grouping, no guest musicians, instead variety is achieved through having both a strong female and male vocalist, and through an expert choice of repertoire material. The pleasures of a group that perform live often, and also for dancing, yields rich rewards and great style. They have a more sedate sound – the per- cussion is less busy than Loxandra and the voices more prone to relaxed melisma. Although being the Turkish group of the two, their Greek cultural focus leads them to be the ones who actually feature bouzouki among the strings – supplied by the group’s one Greek member: Dimitris Lappas. This music still dances, but the pace is often more easeful and languorous.
Pelin Suer’s vocal on Apo To Vradi Os To
Proi has a beautiful precision of articulation that carries a gentle velvet punch and stylish note gliding. The kanun provides the answers to the verse’s questions and phrases, and Erdin S
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¸entürk’s oud supplies a supple solo and rhythmic counterpoint: a great track. Kapetanaki is notably very lively and uptem- po, led by rattling melodic kanun and hand percussion, group leader Stelyos Berber’s vocal line coupled with a violin enters skip- ping over the top of what must be an opti- mistic song (you can never be sure with rem- betiko!) with a great melody! An inventive spiralling kanun solo takes foreground as if spraying glittering water on a sunny day; superb music, impossible not to love.
A pleasing Turkish language piece sung by Pelin Darıldın Mi Cicim Bana, provides some nice contrast with the otherwise Greek language songs. The pairing Ligo Ligo Me Sinithisis and Olmaz Olmaz showcase the sprightly stylish beauty of Pelin’s enunciated delivery, then joined by husband Stelyos’ voice. What are they dialoguing about? It doesn’t matter. The album’s closer Ehe Gia Panda Gia signs off in infectious style: speed- ing up with spirals of kanun and strings, an optimistic bright party mood is unlocked and the vocals and exclamations get gleeful.
Well, the classic Café Aman exclamation of ‘Aman, Aman!’ might not sound gleeful on the face of it, but believe me both these records are packed full of joy and subtler emotions.
www.cafeamanistanbul.com Chris Potts
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