Nobody's Perfect: Orhan Gencebay and "Hatasız Kul Olmaz"

Turkish artist Orhan Gencebay bring us the random tune for today, called Hatasız Kul Olmaz. A virtuoso of the bağlama, he is also a singer, composer, arranger, music producer, director and actor. He learned music at a young age, taking violin and mandolin lessons at the age of 6 but at 7 he started learning the bağlama, a stringed musical instrument, and created his first composition at age 10. He also studied the tambur to better learn Turkish classical music. During his teen years, he developed an interest in jazz and rock. His professional start came in radio and television where he was resident bağlama player for the Turkish Radio and Television Network (TRT). In the late 1960s, he began collaborations with a large number of Turkish musicians spanning a wide range of styles and genres, and he also served as music director for many Turkish films. He also helped develop a new genre of Turkish music that fused classical Turkish folk music with western styles and European styles. His releases in this style are often called arabesque, but he has rejected that label as too narrow for his style of music. He is also a prolific actor, having appeared in over 30 films, as well as a composer of over 1000 songs, and he has released 32 solo albums. You can find Hatasız Kul Olmaz on his 1976 album of the same name, and on the various artists compilation and soundtrack to the documentary Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2006). I believe the video is an excerpt from that film.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

In Your Belly: Baba Zula and "Kisaltmalar (Dub Mix)"

A little Turkish psychebelly dub music is up for your listening pleasure today. Kisaltmalar (Dub Mix) is by Baba Zula in collaboration with Mad Professor. Founded in 1996, Baba Zula is a Turkish alternative group that creates a psychedelic sound combining traditional Turkish instruments, electronica, reggae and dub. At the core of their sound is the saz, a Turkish bouzouki-like stringed instrument with a bright, high-pitched sound. Baba Zula became well known outside of Turkey when they appeared in the 2005 documentary Crossing the Bridge, and have since performed in many high profile world music festivals. They have released eight albums. Mad Professor is a Guyanese dub music producer and engineer known for original productions and remix work. He is a leading figure of dub's second generation and as such has been instrumental in bringing dub into the digital age. Kisaltmalar (Dub Mix) is from Baba Zula with Mad Professor's 2003 album Psychebelly Dance Music.

Just so you know...the music doesn't start until about 18 seconds into the video.

Globalquerque 2014 Video 5: Erkan Oğur's Telvin Trio (Turkey)

This video is of Erkan Oğur's Telvin Trio, a Turkish jazz ensemble, at Globalquerque 2014 on September 20th on the Roy E. Disney stage at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. This is a long video, but worth it. The trio does jazz with a Middle Eastern flavor. Oğur had already contributed something major to music - he invented the fretless classical guitar. A composer, he is also considered a master of the kopuz and bağlama lutes. This video was shot on my Samsung Galaxy phone - the video quality isn't great because my phone doesn't do zoom well, but the sound is pretty good!