Episode: Tangos & Istanbeats at the Bosporus
Due to the earthquakes in Turkey, a special benefit broadcast is dedicated to Turkish popular music. It encompasses a wide range of styles, including arabesque, ashik, and fasil. Less well-known are the Turkish tango from the 1930s and Turkish beat & psychedelica from the 1960s. Both styles flourished when Turkey had a more open attitude towards the West. Additionally, this year marks exactly a century since the end of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of the Republic of Turkey, with Kemal Ata Türk as its first president (29 October 1923). He rapidly transformed the country into a secular state. Among other things, he abolished the Ministry of Religious Affairs, legally prohibited men from wearing traditional fezzes and women from wearing headscarves, replaced the Arabic alphabet with the Latin alphabet, and granted women full voting rights.
Through the -at the time, cutting-edge- tango, Ata Türk introduced a new music style that literally arrived in Istanbul by Orient Express from Paris. As a result, a second Buenos Aires bloomed at the Bosporus with numerous nightclubs and tingel-tangels. In addition to male performers such as Ibrahim Özgür -‘The Bel Ami of Turkish Tango’-, female singers such as Safiye Ayla and Seyyan Hanim also represented this new era. With empowering lyrics, they sang about women who smoked cigarettes (‘Sigaramin dumani’), worked as typists (‘Dactylo’), and drove cars themselves (‘Automobil’).
The Turkish/Dutch Tombaz Ensemble has been specializing in this exceptional repertoire for years. Under the title ‘Songs from Istanbul,’ they are currently touring the Netherlands. In an interview (Trouw, Feb 10, 2006), Tombaz singer Meral Ari told me that “the tango was Ata Türk’s pet project. He is depicted dancing on many photos. That was his way of connecting with the West.” On the difference between Argentine and Turkish tango: “The Turkish variant sounds more melodious and romantic, and the lyrics are more dramatic and detailed. Beautiful eyes are praised in long sentences, including color and eyelashes.” On the accompaniment: “You don’t hear the typical instruments from Turkish folk music. It was usually classically trained musicians of mixed descent who performed tangos, just like with Tombaz” (*).
Meanwhile, another representative of Turkish popular music history is touring our country this spring with the Turkish/Dutch band Altin Gün (‘Golden Dawn’). The band name refers to ‘Altin Mikrofon’ (‘The Golden Microphone’), an annual competition for the countless bands that mushroomed in Turkey from the early 1960s. They were partly influenced by The Shadows’ shimmering guitar sound and The Beatles’ catchy Liverpool call, and partly by certain substances that created a psychedelic sound. Guitarist/singer Erkin Koray, who pioneeringly transposed the Turkish saz to electric guitar, has since been considered the godfather of the genre.
Other bands were inspired by ‘our’ Nederbeat. Mavis Isiklar, for example, made a splendid cover of Shocking Blue’s ‘Send me a postcard,’ as found on ’26 Turkish beat, psych & garage delights. Ultrararities from beyond the sea of Marmara.’ This sublime single compilation partly inspired Altin Gün, which is largely based on this legacy of Anatolian rock and Turkish psychedelic folk from that time.
They achieved international success. Their album ‘Gece’ (2019) was even nominated for a Grammy Award. After a benefit concert for the victims of the earthquakes, they will be touring with their latest album this spring (**).
(*) Tombaz Ensemble– ‘Songs from Istanbul’
zo 26/3- Buiksloterkerk (Amsterdam), vr 31/3- Vestzak Theater (Enschede), za 8/4- Plein Theater (Amsterdam), 3/6- Wesopa Theater (Weesp), za 17/6- d’Rentmeester (Valthermond). www.tombaz.nl
(**) Altın Gün
Fri 3/3- Metropool (Enschede), Fri 10/3- Muziekgieterij (Maastricht), Thu 30/3 & Fri 31/3- Paradiso (Amsterdam), Sun 2/4- 013 (Tilburg), Wed 5/4- Doornroosje (Nijmegen), Thu 6/4- Oosterpoort (Groningen), Tue 11/4- De Roma (Antwerp). https://ebbmusic.eu/artists/altin-gun/
Playlist:
1) Meral Polat- Elqajiyê
CD: Ez Kî Me (eigen beheer 2022)
2) Ibrahim Özgür- Son nefes (1938)
CD: Echoes from afar. Old world tangos. Vol.1 (Oriente Musik, 2001)
3) Ibrahim Özgür- Kalbimde hiç yerin kalmadi (1938)
CD: Tangolar. The Bel Ami of Turkish tango (Oriente Musik, 1999)
4) Müzeyyen Senar- Sigaramin dumani/Smoke of my cigarette (1946)
CD: Women of Istanbul (Traditional Crossroads, 1998)
5) Seyyan Hanim- Capkin (±1930)
CD: Tangolar. Kalan Muzik (1996)
6) Safiye Ayla- Develer katar katar (1935)
CD: Women of Istanbul (Traditional Crossroads, 1998)
7) Tombaz- Yildizlarin altinda
CD: Meral & Tombaz. Varieté Oriental (Kalan, 2008)
8) Cem Karaca & Apaslar-Anadolu oyun havasi (1967)
9) Erkin Koray- Çiçek daği (1968)
10) Izmir Özel- Karsiyaka Lisesi (1967) (Yardbirds-cover/Over under sideways down)
11) Mavis Isiklar-Ask çiçeği (1971) (Shocking Blue-cover/ Send me a postcard)
CD: Turkish Delights: 26 beat, psych & garage delights. Ultrararities
From beyond the sea of Marmara (Grey Past Records, 2001)
12) Erkin Koray- Cümbür cemaat (1976)
CD: Meçhul, singles & rarities (Sublime Frequencies, 2011)
13) Baris Manco- Iste hendek, iste deve (1968)
CD: Dağlar Dağlar (Siyan/ Coskun Records, 1993)
14) Baba Zula- Cecom
CD: Crossing the bridge (Doublemoon, 2005)
15) Altin Gün/ Kaymakamin kizlari
CD: On (Bongo Joe, 2018)
16) Orient Expressions- Istanbul 1:26 AM
CD: Crossing the bridge (Doublemoon, 2005)
Produced by:
