photos by Stephen Hill, Christopher Richard and Nelia White.
site design: soulless
copyright: Tangents 2007
Click for 2006 Tour Highlights
Home
About Dore
Playlist (KALW)
Playlist (Mondomix)
Currents
Calendar
Tangents Parties
Turkey Music Tour
Editorial
Feedback
Contact
May 2-8, 2008 Tangential Turkey Tour Itinerary

May 2nd: Arrival in Istanbul.

Early evening orientation.

Rest up for tomorrow.

MAY 3rd:

Genovese Neighborhood Tour

Okay Temiz Presentation and Workshop

MAY 4th:

Aya Sofya

Indian flavored concert with Edward Powell who plays his own creation: the triple-neck fretless guitar" which is essentially a raga and maqam machine... Trio is rounded out by Natalia Mann (harp), Izzet KIZIL (percussion)-Izzet plays djembe, cajon, bendir, darbula, riq, etc.

May 5th:

Bosphorus Cruise

Roma (Gipsy)/Balkan Festival including Buzuki Orhan Osman, Trakya All-Stars and Kocani Orkestar.

May 6th:

Fly to Cappadocia for 3 days of otherwordly splendor.

Carpet Presentation

May 7th:

Goreme Vista Point

Kaymakli Underground City

Zelve Valley

Pottery Presentation

Unforgettable candle light cave concert amid gorgeous rugs with regional folk artists. Any musicians or poets in our group are welcome to perform.

May 8th:

Optional Balloon Trip

Devren Valley

Ihlara Valley (3.5km hike)

Selime Monastery

Mustafapasa

Whirling Dervishes

May 9th:

Goreme Open Air Museum

Depart for Konya

Bus to Konya and visit the Mevlana Museum around lunch time on our way to Afyon. Konya is home to Rumi's Tomb, part of the Mevlana Museum.

Overnight is in Afyon, home to a dramatically perched citadel. One of Afyon's claims to fame is it produces more than 1/3 of the world's legally grown opium.

We arrive 8-9p in Afyon and enjoy a huge Anatolian buffet spread for dinner at the hotel.

Hotel has sauna and pool.

May 10th:

Depart for Pumukkale.


Pumukkale is famous for its white calcium travertines and extensive Roman and Byzantine ruins at Hierapolis. It the largest necropolis in Asia Minor for you folks into ancient burial. You can also go for an optional dip in the Pamukkale Thermal Baths which is the SPA of SPA's.

In the evening we arrive at our final travel hub - the tiny village of Sirince (means "Pleasantness") - so tiny that most maps don't show it. It's a charming place, full of character and old world charm. It's  nestled in the hills with wonderful views, yet close to the Aegean and is a perfect retreat for rest and relaxation. Architecture is also beautiful. The village is famous for its local wine, a part of the heritage of the Greek residents who left in the 1920's.

May 11th:

Depart for the key attraction: Ephesus. With the exception of Pompeii, Ephesus (Efes in Turkish) is the largest and best preserved ancient city around the Mediterranean. We allow up to 4 hours for exploring Ephesus and we'll have a top guide to lead the way. You really get a sense of what life was like in Roman times.


May 12th:

Sirince is the perfect place to find your own rhythm and soak up the atmosphere. Other than a group dinner, this is a full day of free time. Our sister pension has a fantastic marble encased pool that has been a favorite of many. The hills are a delight to explore. You'll meet friendly farm animals along the paths. Sirince has the best jewelry shop we've come across and interesting shops and vendors.

We also may have the option of going to a national park with hiking trails and beaches by the Aegean.

May 13th Return to Istanbul

Afternoon flight from Izmir Airport.

Sabahat Akkiraz/Çaglar Namlı/Norrda/Mustafa Özarslan

This will be a full taste of authentic Turkish music led by Alevi folk music diva Sabahat Akkiraz. The mega night also includes the inventive baglama (saz) artist Çaglar Namlı. I was determined to get both Sabahat and Çaglar on the Tangents tour. The other artists are  up and coming "türkü" singer Mustafa Özarslan as well as a set by pioneering electro-acoustic percussion group Norrda together with Çağlar Namlı.

May 14th :

Today is our visit to the record company complex where we meet record label folks and purchase cd's at wholesale prices. Afterwards we go to instrument shop row where both traditonal and modern Turkish instruments are on full display. We may also visit an instrument builder's home and go to a cultural center for a talk on the history of Ottoman and Turkish music.

On the way to the record companies we will stop at the magnificent but overlooked Rustem Pasa mosque. If you love tiles, you will be in heaven.

Yinon Muallem Ensemble:

Yinon Muallem-percussion, vocal
Serdar Pazarcioglu-violin
Erdem Senturk-oud
Savas Ozkok-kanun (Turkish plucked zither)
Sumru Agiryuruyen-vocal


This will be an Anatolian/Middle Eastern fusion concert. Yinon Muallem Ensemble was created in 2005 and performs Yinon's original compositions along with traditional songs from Turkey, Israel, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe.

MAY 15th:

Topkapi Palace

Selim Sesler -Turkey's top Roma (Gypsy) clarinetist who starred in the film "Crossing the Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul". His star is rising internationally.

May 16th:

Depart for visit to Sabahat Akkiraz home for meal and socializing...

Concert: "Breath of the Earth" Project featuring songs and tunes from all over the world. Goksel Baktagir (kanun), Nedim Nalbantoglu (violin), Izzet Kizil (perc.), Yuri Ryadchenko (bayan, bass-Ukraine), Natalia Mann (harp-N. Zealand), Volkan Yilmaz (ney), Talya Balikcioglu (vocal), Firat Ilker (ngoni). Sumru Agiryuruyen (vocal) and Onok Bozkurt (guitar).

This will be an unusual pan cultural concert. The kanun player is fantastic and conceived the project along with Sumru, who is the vocalist who was part of Yinon Muallem's ensemble. (see May 14)

May 17th:

We have several options on our last night in Istanbul including seeing one of the top flamenco guitarists in the world: Vicente Amigo.

May 18th:

Departure back to reality.