Selem Sesler close up by Sandra Kelch
Hasan Akkiraz hosting Tangents group at Akkiraz Records with Ataturk looking on
Snow during Nancy and Kent's extra week in the east
Yunus Emre
Pure Aegean relaxation by Hilary
Istiklal:
Istanbul's pedestrian pulse

  Brenda returning from  Aegean swim
Charming Sirince
Emin Igus
Dore suggesting cd's;
Tom and Ron (pictured)
bought 40+ cd's
(see Ron's testimonial)

More Ihlara Valley action as Kent helps local woman send logs down the stream as she holds his sneakers
  L to R: Ron, Nancy, Kent;
Below: Sandra
Cenk Erdogan at Guitar Cafe
Mete during Galata tour
Sumru and Cenk during  private concert at Gitar Cafe;
Sumru and Dore below
  Spectacular shot of Aya Sofya by Ron Scudder
       Mevlana Museum;
     Site of Rumi's Tomb
 Long shot of Ephesus 
Cappadocia at night


 
site design: soulless
copyright: Tangents 2010

Instrument builders can also play
  One of many eye-grabbing    statues at Ephesus Museum

 Women praying
 in Mevlana Museum

  October 11-27, 2009 Tangential Turkey Tour Itinerary

October 11:

Airport and train arrival day. We had ten in our group including eight living in the Bay Area, Bryan from London and Chris living in Vienna.

October 12:

We started with a four hour guided tour of Topkapi Palace, including the harem with its gorgeous tiles.

The first concert featured drummer Engin Gürkey's Balkan jazz group in a tiny jazz club. We had reserved seats next to the stage. The place was packed and brimming with excitement. Violinist Turay Dinleyen performed practically next to us and stole the show. Engin has a music school and to our delight after Engin's group finished, we were treated to several outstanding student acts and professional friends who also joined on stage.

Bryan commented as we exitedthe club: "Dore - how are you going to top this?"

October 13:

We hooked up with famed percussionist/drummer/instrument inventor Okay Temiz for an informal percussion workshop/presentation. This was loads of fun as Okay is one of the most charismatic folks imaginable - he's like a musical elf, not to mention Turkey's most famous jazz musician. He is a cross-pollinating jazz pioneer having worked with other giants such as Don Cherry and South Africa's Abdullah Ibrahim.

October 14:

We spent the morning in a special guided Genovese (Galata) tour led by one of Istanbul's most prominent architects who has lived in this historic neighborhood for 7 decades.

After lunch at a splendid Georgian restaurant housed in the former British jail, we stopped at the magnificent yet overlooked Rustem Pasa mosque. It's unusually small and an inviting place to pray or meditate. Topkapi's harem and Rustem Pasa have the most remarkable tiles and the dome ceilings are exquisite.

Our final daytime activity was spent visiting Turkey's finest builder of traditional stringed instruments. His home is like a musem. We also visited his workshop where he makes magic in cramped quarters. Reminds me of a sign my mom once gave me: "A messy desk is the sign of a genius."

The evening featured a private concert with extraordinarily versatile vocalist Sumru Ağıryürüyen accompanied by Turkey's rising star jazz guitarist Cenk Erdogan. Two hours before the concert both Sumru and Cenk joined the Tangents group for dinner. This set the tone for the evening as the concert was as intimate as it gets - we were in at the living room sized Gitar Cafe club and sat a couple of feet from the stage.

Originally Sumru and I had planned for one of her ensembles to perform during the Tangents tour but no date could work for all.  I suggested she do a duo concert with a stringed accompanist and Cenk was chosen. They had never performed together until that night.

There chemistry was remarkable as each had intuitive powers to anticipate each others moves. The concert was so good that Sumru and Cenk are working on a new album together as a result of this experience!

For a video shot by tour member Don, check this link and then scroll down.

Sumru even sent me a few 'rehearsal' songs that I have been playing on Tangents.

October 15:

Bosphorus Cruise to the entrance of the Black Sea and back. At the final stop we climbed a hill and explored a medieval castle with spectacular views of the Black Sea. Lunch was perched overlooking the magnificent water below. We ordered a variety of fish (calamari, sea bream and sea bass) which were among the tastiest on the trip.

We traveled to a club in the heart of Istanbul to catch Turkey's top Roma/Gypsy clarinetist and star of Crossing the Bridge: Sounds of Istanbul, Selim Sesler. We sat a few feet from Selim's band sipping drinks and soaking up the music and atmosphere. They played until the early morning hours and several stalwart Tangential group members stayed the duration and danced their hearts out.

October 16:

We flew to Cappadocia for 2 days of otherwordly splendor.

The group was treated to a carpet presentation by our friend Semsi and then a home cooked meal of traditional guvec (beef and vegetable stew slowly cooked in a clay pot) prepared by Semsi (man of many skills) and his helpers.

October 17:

Many in the group woke up pre-dawn for an experience of a lifetime: hot air ballooning in one of the best places in the world to try it.

After breakfast the group reassembled  and we took a road trip to Kaymakli Underground City. For the 5th consecutive year Mustafa was our guide for all activities in Cappadocia including this remarkable example of human creativity aand determination. It's a maze of tunnels and rooms carved 8 levels into the earth. When invaders threatened the inhabitants of this region  (as early as 7th century BC), they escaped underground where they could live safely for several months at a time.

After Kaymakli we climbed among the mountainous caves in Zelve Valley. Squeezing into dark tunnel passages and coming out at the other end was especially exciting.

The most unusual concert setting of all came about that evening. We first ate dinner that was grilled on the spot outside our concert venue: a 2000 year old cave church. Joining us for dinner and  concert was the dean of Turkey travel writers, Tom Brosnahan.

After dinner we entered the cave amid carpets and candle light. We were entranced by performances from vocalist/percussionist Ali and baglama player Yunus Emre. The most was traditionally based and representative of the region, and perhaps the most spellbinding we heard on the tour. Big thanks to long time friend Mehmet who produced the concert for us.

October 18:

In the morning we drove to beautiful Ihlara Valley which used to be a retreat for Byzantine monks. We walked  a leisurely 2+ miles along a stream that is hugged by a mountainous canyon and a soundtrack of happy birds chirping. We ended the hike at a restaurant that floated in the middle of the stream. Kent was the last to join us as he stayed behind wading in the water assisting an older woman carrying wood down the stream.

After our return to our cave hotel, we visited Goreme Open Air Museum, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

October 19:

Depart for Konya

We visited the Mevlana Museum on our way to Afyon. Konya is home to Rumi's Tomb, part of the Mevlana Museum.

Overnight was 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 and huge cauliflower. (see photo)

We arrived in the late afternoon and walked around this pure Turkish city (no tourists) buying spices, fruit and munchies for the next day's van ride. We also visited the Imaret mosque located in a park. It's design shows the transition from Seljuk to Ottoman style as it has a spiral-fluted minaret decorated Seljuk style, with blue tiles.

October 20:

LIke clockwork our group assembled in the lobby for 8a departure for Pamukkale.

We spent several hours exploring the famous white calcium travertines and most the extensive Roman and Byzantine ruins at Hierapolis. It's the largest necropolis in Asia Minor for you folks into ancient burial.

As duck approached we arrived 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, nestled in the hills with wonderful views. Close to the Aegean, it's a perfect retreat for rest and relaxation. The architecture is also stunning. Sirince is famous for its local wine (especially fruit wines).  The wine is part of the heritage of the Greek residents who were removed in the 1920's during the compulsory population exchange.

October 21:

After a lovely breakfast with delicious fig and fruit jams, yogurt, eggs, cheese,tomatoes, olives and sweet breads, etc., we hopped in our van for a short  ride to Ephesus. With the exception of Pompeii, Ephesus (Efes in Turkish) is the largest and best preserved ancient city around the Mediterranean. The group spent four hours exploring Ephesus with Tek, our outstanding guide. You really get a sense of what life was like in Roman times.

In the afternoon we stocked up at a farmer's market, cheese shop and bakery,  and then traveled to Dilek National Park. We had a beach largely to ourselves and the Aegean was warm and inviting. Brenda and Kent went swimming as others walked along the beach, relaxed and picnicked. 

October 22: 

Return to Istanbul - Afternoon flight from Izmir Airport.

We arrived in Istanbul late that afternoon. We ate dinner oudoors at a restaurant in the center of the fish market off the lively pedestrian walkway named Istiklal. It's the heart of social nightlife in Istanbul.

The evening concert was Niyaz led by Persian vocalist Azim Ali. She sung in Farsi and Urdu, and took the house down singing the song "Beni Beni" in Turkish.

October 23:

Today most of the group went wild buying cd's at wholesale prices. Most of Turkey's record labels are located under one roof in an industrial complex near the Galata Bridge. We first visited my good friend Hasan Akkiraz (Sabahat's brother and her manager) and also visited Kalan (the Arhoolie records of Turkey) and then camped out at a remarkable cd shop. The group was into beefing up their Turkish cd collection and I enjoy the role of cd consultant. If you check out the testimonial link - you'll see this line excerpted from Ron Scudder:

"I had never paid much attention to Turkish music before (read any attention at all) but was a jazz fan, and was totally blown away by the range and quality of music that we encountered. After buying 26 CDs during the trip, I found that I liked every one of them, and have played each over and over. Unbelievable! "

We ferried to the Asian side for our evening concert destination. It was another intimate concert, this time with Emin Igus. He plays heartfelt, authentic Anatolian folk. It seemed most in the crowed knew the lyrics and sung along. This is common in Turkish culture and gives the atmosphere a familial vibe and helps inspire the artist.

October 24:

It's important to occasionally have a chunk of planned free time and today was the day.Some of the most cherished memories happen discovering things on your own.

The night brought the return of fretless guitarist Cenk Erdogan. We saw him accompany Sumru earlier in the tour. This time Cenk was headlining at Istanbul's prestigious Akbank Jazz Festival and leading his own trio. (No photography was allowed.) This was Anatolian jazz at its finest and wowed the group, especially Kent Khtikian. He commented it was one of the best concerts he'd seen, and I imagine Kent has seen hundreds over the years.

October 25:  

No Turkey trip is complete without a guided tour of Aya Sofya or a Whirling Dervish performance which we did later this night.

Aya Sofya is the most famous cultural landmark in Turkey. Located 3 minutes from our hotel, the group spent almost 3 hours there. It was the greatest church in Christendom until its conquest in 1453. Aya Sofya was converted into one of the world's greatest mosques and Ataturk changed its status to a museum in 1935 .

October 26:

The last full day was scheduled free time during the daytime.

Our final group dinner was at a traditional meyhanes (appetizers) restaurant situated in a picturesque backstreet in the bustling Beyoglu district.They elevate mezes to an art form and we ordered one after another.

Our final night was spent Tangential bar hopping. The objective is to discover small neighborhood bars with outstanding live music. The first bar hit the jackpot and I didn't feel the need to move on. The singer was in the Sabahat Akkiraz folk mode and some of us joined the locals in traditional circle dancing.  Eventually, Hilary urged me to find another bar as one outstanding bar does not a bar hop make. She's right of course.

We walked to another area with a bunch of bars and clubs most of which were not worthy.  I beckoned for the remaining hearty among us (Tom, Brenda and Hilary) to enter an unassuming building. We walked up the spiral staircase, one floor after another, after another. They thought I was playing a trick on them. But they followed. We got to the rooftop and I pushed open the door. Klezmer like music came pouring out. The band was hot and the dance floor was happening. The setting was amazing with large windows overlooking Istanbul's skyline.  The bar hop was complete.

October 27

The weather had been perfect throughout the trip. Warm and sunny every day. While some in the the group returned home, others kept on going. Kent and Nancy enjoyed another week traveling east and encoutered snow while Tom and Ron journeyed west and went boating. Don, Sandra and Chris worked Turkey into a major globetrotting journey and didn't return to the States until January.

I left on the 28th. As I departed, a little bit of magic descended from above. For the 4th year in a row, the skies opened up and poured on my final day. When the sky is crying, you know the Gods are sorry to see you go.

More observations and thoughts can be found from group members in the testimonial link.



  Photos:
 Majority by Ron Scudder; also Sandra Kelch, Nancy Torrey, Don Fortescue, Brenda Cravens, Barbara Collins, Sandy Peterson, Steve Basile and Dore Stein.  Azam Ali shot courtesy of Calgary Folk Festival
Instrument builder's home
Semsi carpet   demonstration
Ali and Brenda
View from Bosphorus ferry ride
Reminds me of a scene in the Wizard of Oz but it's ballooning over Cappadocia
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  Pamukkale travertine terraces
  Hilary emerges from rock opening in Ihlara Valley
       Veggie man and Dore
     with giant sized cauliflower
 in Afyon
Niyaz's Azam Ali 
Okay playing electric berimbau (which he pioneered) and in action  below on his horn drum
Hilary working the Chinese sprouting bowl during Okay's clinic