Brenna MacCrimmon & Selim Sesler - Karşılama[1998] World (Folk) | 57'14 | FLAC/EAC+LOG+CUE | Front and Back Covers | 385 Mb Label : Kalan Müzik | RAR %5 Rec. | Hotfile - Fileserve
“This album is the result of many years of musical wondering which began in my hometown of Toronto, Canada nearly 15 years ago. I began listening to music from all over the world but I was particularly drawn to the music of Turkey and the Balkans. I sought out folklore groups in Toronto and began to learn and play Macedonian and Turkish folk songs. Eventually my curiosity brought me to Turkey. Here I have found so much music in so many styles, it sometimes seems difficult to know where to begin. I think there is enough to keep anyone busy for 7 lifetimes. With a background in Balkan and Turkish music it was only natural Rumeli and Thracian folk songs appealed to me and with the help of many knowledgeable people I began to learn the repertoire. Not just the popular Rumeli songs that everyone knows , but many other beautiful little melodies that have lain forgotten like an embroidered shawl in a trunk in the attic. Years later take out the handiwork and we see how beautiful the colours are, how fine the detail and workmanship is. In much the same way, I’ve found inspiration in old 78 and 45 rpm recordings as well as more usual sources such as cassettes and notation. I didn’t come to Turkey to make an album, it just sort of happened. I’ve had the good fortune to study and play with a number of fine Turkish musicians during my time here and all of them have taught me something, all of them have left an impression on me. Within the Rumeli region alone, there are so many styles, so many forms of instrumentation – we could easily make many more albums, but for this effort I worked with a wonderful group of Thracian musicians, led by clarinetist Selim Sesler. What the baglama is to Central Anatolia, so the clarinet is to the Balkans - it is hard to imagine a wedding or celebration without a clarinet at some point – and Selim is truly a master musician. Like all the musicians on this album, Selim’s family originally came from Selanik and settled in and around Turkish Thrace. Their family histories are similar to those of many people of Rumeli heritage whom I met. These families experienced much hardship over the decades, facing wars and forced immigration, but they are also a generous and joyous people and these feelings are found in their music. In choosing the songs and music for this album I tried to select repertoire, Turkish or otherwise, that suited the wonderful sound of this Thracian ensemble. We have tried to capture some of the many moods of this music, from sorrow to celebration. Please enjoy it with us. - Brenna MacCrimmon” Selim Sesler: klarinet Demir Karabaş: keman Fahri Demircioğlu: cümbüş, ud Bülent Sesler: kanun Salih Onur: darbuka, bendir, daire Selahattin Koçan: davul Brenna MacCrimmon: solist
Track Listing
01. Bir Ah Cektim (5:07) 02. Saniye'm (3:47) 03. Roman Oyun Havasi (6:16) 04. Zapejala Angelina (3:05) 05. Bahar Dansi (2:53) 06. Su Karsiki Dagda Bir Fener Yanar (5:10) 07. Karcigar Kocekce (1:54) 08. Na Cu E Rushja Ne Saba (6:27) 09. Daracik Sokaklar (5:28) 10. Penceresi Yola Karsi (4:20) 11. Kalamatya (4:06) 12. Ahmed'in Saclari Kinali (3:55) 13. Olumleri (4:41)
GYPSY SOUNDS OF ISTANBUL BY BULENT SESLER & ENSEMBLE Performing in many prestigious ethnic festivals and touring with my father in 14 different countries including USA & Canada, I am proud to have represented Turkey & Thracian gypsy music for over 20 years. During this time, I had the great pleasure of meeting and performing amazing ethnic musicians, my encounters with whom added more flavors to my music. In my own debut album, I perform incredibly touching traditional songs from 7 different countries, which are carefully balanced with instrumentally flawless interludes crafted by the master of various romany instruments with 6 other roman musicians all coming from the gypsy culture of the rich Thracian Region where I grew up.
I would like to thank those who helped my dream to come to a reality with this album, especially Fatih Akin, a prominent director and a dear friend, who let us play in his two internationally award-winning movies (Head-On & Sounds of Istanbul) and gave us the honorable opportunity to perform twice at Cannes Film Festival. As a Turkish gypsy with seven generations of legendary musicians in my family on both mother & father side; I would like to dedicate this album to my dear parents and children. Bülent Sesler
Gypsy Sounds of Istanbul by Bulent Sesler http://www.myspace.com/bulentsesler/music 1. Good Luck (A. Kaldaras) 2. Ederlezy (Saorama Daye) 3. Amari Szi Amari 4. Yağmurcalı 5. Anako (Söz & Müzik: İsmail Çakır) 6. Shabechi Yerushalaim 7. Çuprilika 8. Poljuscka Polye 9. O. Bohoris 10. Gelin Havası 11. Usti Usti 12. İslamoğlu 13. Elono Kerko Ezerki 14. Trakya Kasabı
The Road to Kesan - Turkish Rom and Regional Music of Thrace Chosen as one of the top world music recordings of the year by The New York Times and Songlines! “magnificent” Sunday Telegraph (London) “a richly detailed aural tour of the Thrace region of western Turkey, with Sesler’s snaky clarinet lines leading the way” Utne Reader “Turkish Gypsy music is wild, virtuosic and soulful...There are few recordings of this genre as good as this one.” Songlines “excellent” Dirty Linen Journey west from Istanbul to the region of Thrace, turn south toward the Aegean Sea, and with luck your road will lead you to the town of Kesan, center of a Rom (Gypsy) musical community that is one of Turkey’s great treasures. This collection of Thracian wedding and dance music, which melds Turkish, Greek, Rom, and Bulgarian influences, showcases Kesan’s preeminent Rom ensemble, under the leadership of master clarinetist Selim Sesler. INCLUDES 35 PAGES OF NOTES, INCLUDING THE HISTORY OF ROM MUSIC IN THRACE, TURKISH LYRICS AND ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS, AND NUMEROUS REGIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF MUSICIANS AND MUSICAL EVENTS. Featuring Selim Sesler (clarinet, voice) * Nusret Sute (violin) * Bulent Sesler (kanun) * Turan Gumus (cumbus, voice) * Selahattin Kocan (darbuka, daire) * Ramadan Borozan (davul) 1. Kiremit bacalari/Nasti usava 2. Kina havasi/Gelin alma havasi 3. Bir sari yilan 4. Ali Pasa 5. Biber yedim 6. Aci Meleke 7. Babo 8. Istifalka/Gelserek/Arzu ile Kamber 9. Tulum 10. Patrona/Samiotisa 11. Hanim Ayse 12. Sari gulum var benim / Mahmut Koy Karsilamasi 13. Nikriz sirto 14. Alay Bey 15. Kampana mori Mitro Born in 1957, Selim Sesler is a descendant of a family of professional zurna players from Drama, Greece. His relatives were first settled in Kesan’s Ibriktepe village as a result of the 1923 population exchange, and then relocated to Kesan’s Roman Yeni Mescit neighborhood. Selim’s musical experience spans the period of transition from davul-zurna to calgi ensembles. Selim began as a zurna player, but took up the clarinet in his early teens, like many younger members of davul-zurna families who began to adopt calgi instruments in the 1960s. He began playing village weddings at age 14 and also performed in regional fairs. In the 1980s, joining the many regional town Roman musicians gravitating toward large urban centers, Selim moved to Istanbul to develop his musical talents. In Istanbul he played fasil music in restaurants, provided music for Ferhan Sensoy’s musical theater, played Roman and non-Roman weddings, and made many recordings. His musical path most recently took him to Canada, which he toured in 1998, representing Turkish Roman and his own Rumeli (Turkish Balkan) roots. He maintains a vast repertoire and playing style associated with Kesan and surrounding areas in Thrace, serving as a veritable living regional archive. He is renowned among Roman and non-Roman for his improvisational virtuosity, and as a premier interpreter of wedding and modern dance tunes. Reviews: “Kesan is a town in the south of Thrace, the region of Turkey west of Istanbul, which is bordered by Greece and Bulgaria. There is a strong Gypsy presence in the music of The Road to Kesan, along with various Balkan influences. The group heard on this excellent record consists of Gypsy musicians who perform in various local styles for events like weddings, dances, and drinking sessions. Instruments include clarinet, fiddle, kanun, and percussion. The music is soulful and exciting, featuring occasional improvisatory flights from clarinetist Selim Sesler, passionate vocals, and drumming that’s more of a presence than one usually expects with Balkan or Gypsy ensembles. The 35-page booklet includes well-written, informative notes, intriguing photos, and even the words to the songs (with translations). As is often the case, music that has strong regional traditions of great historical interest is also wonderful to listen to.” Dirty Linen “One technique I use to review albums is loading up the CD changer in the car and letting the music do its work. The Road to Kesan gave me one of those infrequent ‘What?!!” moments that had my arm reaching back under the passenger seat to pull the disc and read the label. I like Rom (Gypsy) music and have heard quite a bit of it, but this stopped me in my tracks. Thrace is that portion of European Turkey bounded by Greece and Bulgaria. The region exemplifies what happens to music when time, population migrations, and relative remoteness combine. Time and migration brought many groups to the area, such as the Gacals (Turkish speakers), Pomaks (Slavic-speaking Muslim groups), and other regional neighbors from Albania, Bosnia, and Romania. Twentieth-century wars forced a lot of people through Thrace, many of whom stayed to become part of the cultural landscape. Remoteness, a feature of the region that let its unique melding of cultures develop, is giving way, however, making recordings like this essential. Roads, communication technology, and the inevitable broadening of influences that accompany both have brought musical change. As represented on The Road to Kesan, Thracian history and music are held together by ‘an essential cultural link’, the Rom (Gypsy) musicians who have also made Thrace their home. It was good business for this professional caste of musicians to learn each community’s repertoire, allowing them to adapt to each audience and its particular celebration, seasonal festival or performance. The Road to Kesan presents an overview of the traditional Thracian repertoire, perfomed by a ‘traditional Kesan Roman ensemble’ called a calgi. Various combinations of clarinet, violin, cumbus, kanun, davul, darbuka, daire and vocals are presented by outstanding performers, and unusually well-written liner notes and photographs will walk you through each track.” Victory Review
TECHNO ROMAN PROJECT F e l e q u e http://www.myspace.com/technoromanproject Lari Dilmen – Perküsyon, sampler Oğuz Kaplangı – Elektronik altyapılar Ramazan Sesler – Klarnet Serkan Koçan – Askı davul, darbuka Bülent Sesler – Kanun Hale Çakır – Oryantal Ve konuk sanatçı Selim Sesler Bugünün İstanbul'undan Elektronik-Roman Müziği. 2006 yılında Anna Lindth Vakfı Kültürlerarası Diyalog Ödülü'nü kazanan topluluk, Roman müziğiyle elektronik altyapıları birarada kullanıyor. 2002 yılında geleneksel ve teknolojik olanı aynı noktada buluşturmak için kolları sıvayan Techno Roman Project'in ilk albümü Feleque Elec-Trip Records etiketiyle 2003'te yayınlanmıştı. Albümde olduğu gibi sahnede de ünlü klarnet ustası Selim Sesler ve saz ekibi projenin Roman bölümünü oluştururken, elektronik altyapılar Elec-Trip DJ'leri ve aranjörleri tarafından hazırlanmakta. Projenin fikir babası perküsyonist Lari Dilmen, Feleque albümünün müzikal direktörü olarak bu iki farklı dünya arasında köprü görevi görüyor. Elektronik altyapılar ve synth’lerde ise Rebel Moves grubundan Prodüktör/DJ Oğuz Kaplangı yer alıyor. http://www.babylon.com.tr/tr/babylon/etkinlik/10827/20061128/techno-roman-project/