a r t i s t : Efkar
t i t l e : Back to Anatolia
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Caprice
g e n r e : Folk
r l s. d a t e : Aug/2006
t r a c k s : 11
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 79,1 MB
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Coming to a new country can be exciting, but also a challange.
For the members of Efkar, music became a way of building a
spirit of community and creating an identity in the new land.
In Sweden they saw the folk music of Turkey in a new light,
and the traditional and genuine became more important.
It's their love of music and homeland that unites the
musicians in Efkar. All were born and raised in Anatolia, the
peninsula that today comprises the country of Turkey.
Efkar uses the term "Anatolia", since this is deeply rooted
among the people and describes better the multicultural
background, shared by the many different peoples living within
the borders of Turkey. For the musicians, it is a larger and
richer concept, an idea they identify with and are keen on
keeping alive.
For several years, the musicians in Efkar have played together
with other artists the world over: at festivals, concerts,
weddings and recording sessions. It was their common interest
in traditional folk music and their love of Anatolia that
spurred them to start the group Efkar. Efkar means, loosely
translated, "thoughts" and describes a mental state where one
is filled with ideas.
Performing is a way of life, according to the musicians in
Efkar. They play for the fun of it and let the music take time
to develop. The members are constantly discovering new aspects
of the music. It has no limits and can express everything from
sorrow and melancholy to joy and festivity.
Richly embellished melodies, long improvised solos and
captivating, often asymmetrical rhythms are characteristic of
Turkish folk music. The music is colorful and spicy. The most
important instruments are the large two-sided drum, davul, and
the oboe-like instrument, zurna, two strongly resounding
instruments that can be heard over great crowds of people.
Other common instruments are the long-necked lute, baglama,
the goblet-shaped drum, darbuka, the flute, kaval, and the
short oboe, mey.
Turkish folk music is firmly rooted in the people of Anatolia.
It's played traditionally at religious and secular
festivities, mainly at wedding celebrations, which can go on
for several days. This tradition is still very strong, mainly
in the country. Even in cities, the music is kept alive and
almost every cafΘ or bar has house musicians. But the younger
generation no longer wants to hear the old traditional music
and so Turkish folk music is being populized and
commercialized with more pop arrangements and modern
instruments.
This recording is the real thing. Efkar plays like folks did
long ago with traditional instruments and arrangements in the
old style. "We play the music we grew up with, not caring who
owns the melodies". The tunes that Efkar play are based on
traditional Turkish melodies. It's about longing, and about
love and heartbreak. Emotions we all feel, regardless of
nationality.
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Efkar:
Ismet Demirhan (mey, ney and zurna)
Hakan Vreskala (darbuka, davul and percussion)
Fuat Talay (baglama, cura and lavta)
Hesen Kenjo (kanun)
Yasemen Dinc (vocals)
Sabahat Akkiraz (vocals)
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"Sometimes, we get CDs in the post that we listen to over and
over again. Back to Anatolia is one of those."
http://www.greenmanreview.com/cd/cd_efkar_anatolia.html
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This album was chosen as the "CD of the week" by the Swedish
radio show Folke.
http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/p2/program/artikel.asp?programid=2487
&artikel=878009
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http://www.efkarensemble.com/
http://www.capricerecords.se/
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01-Anadolu [08:07]
02-Fincanin Etrafi [07:58]
03-Abdal Olsam [06:22]
04-Serenler Zeybegi [02:57]
05-Arix [05:33]
06-Wedding jam [04:48]
07-Sad Olup Guelmedim [07:09]
08-Al Yazma Zeybegi [04:02]
09-Darbuka solo [03:32]
10-Bahτada Yesil ╟inar [05:28]
11-Tamzara [03:43]
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59:39 min