A delicious record, where technical prowess and knowledge of different traditions don't hamper the flow of a joyous, living music. To create a group based on piano and 4 percussionists pianist Tutuncu draw on Ottoman and classic Turkish music, where a strong and varied percussion section plays a key role, but enlarged the instrumental range to include folk instruments (wooden spoons), jazz and latin percussion. In fact, the whole world of latin music seems to be widely popular in Turkey, from the fade of mambo and Perez Prado in the night club of the Fifties to the fusion with gitan music sought by ney master Kudsi Erguner. There are deep historical reasons for that, as demonstrated by how "latin" some of the makam (modes/moods) may sound. But this record quotes a different and closer period of history, beginning with a moving version of the song dedicated by Carlos Puebla to Che Guevara. In a country with the turbulent political history of Turkey, this is a powerful and meaningful statement, which was greeted by the audience during a concert by this group that I was able to attend, with a thundering applause, something more that just a musical appreciation. While I'm normally wary of easy mixtures between music and politics, in this case the homage is so heartfelt, genuine and musical that it cannot but win this listener's sympathy. In concert the Puebla song emerged from a long solo piano improvisation, again in the tradition of several classic music forms; on the Cd however the prelude has been moved to the next to last place in track orders. Do not expect a "stiff" record however: the musicians have plenty of fun with a wide choice of latin atmospheres as different as Carla Bley's Reactionary Tango and Ta Boa, Santa by Egberto Gismonti. Other variations are based on melodies by Chick Corea (Children Songs n. 1), Claude Debussy, whose Golliwog's Cakewalk receives a vivifying treatment with vocal effects from the quica and a free improvised section, and Jan Garbarek, whose Evening Land was subjected to variations and gained words, becoming the song Kapilar (The Doors) which closes the album in a climate of great suggestion not devoid of political tension : the words "I Want Peace/I Want Tranquility/May the Doors Open" are sung in some of the languages spoken in Turkey, maybe Greek, Armenian and Kurdish. Four Tango Steps is a brilliant mosaic created juxtaposing one tango by Carla Bley (again), one by Evan Lurie and two associated with the name of turkish tango singer Secaattin Tanyerli, who enjoyed great popolarity singing from Istanbul radio; one of the pieces performed here, Papatya (Daisy), composed by Necdet Koyoturk, was his first record and great success,when tango enjoyed in Turkey a huge popularity due to the diffusion of 78 Rpm records and radios. Netekim (Thus) is another piece of political/cultural critique where a rap about the "degradation" of Turkish language and its false protection by conservative politicians floats over Brown Rice by Shadowfax: with its even accentation the language seems to be very well suited to a specially flavored brand of rapping, and the audience found it hilarious. The group is completed by clarinetist and flutist Oguz Buyukberber; of course the clarinet is an instrument typical in certain genres of Turkish music, but here's the central influence is none other than Eric Dolphy, especially on his excellent bass clarinet work. Saruhan Erim, Serdar Gonenc, Timucin Gurer and Umit Kivanc perform on percussion with impressive clarity; on Netekim Erim even raps out brilliantly Kivanc's words for the tune (the leader herself uses voice as an additional colour). As a section, their precise style is especially suited to the ironic dimension of the Carla Bley pieces and to the tricky tempo changes of Bora Akun's La Fête: all the musicians however contribute impassionately to the renditions of the arrangements by the leader, who acknowledges it in the booklet: "All arrangements by Ayse Tutuncu, got somewhat out of control by provocations within the group. The improvisations, as always, belong to the moment." This little note, with its serious truth hidden in a playful turn of phrase, summarizes well the spirit of a Cd I enjoyed very much.
Francesco Martinelli
back