Ron Scudder, Livermore
Hi, Dore!
I wanted to tell you
and any others how much I not only enjoyed the Tangents Turkey tour, but how
special it was. I have always been a very independent traveler, and like to stay
in one place for about a week, or at least three or four days if I travel to a
small town, so that I can begin to feel the pulse of a region. Other than the
Tangents tour I have only taken one other group tour, and for me it was a
disaster - I rebelled against the early rising, jump on the tour bus,
zoom-around feeling, even though compared to many tours the one I took was
relatively relaxed with free time. Your tour was the closest thing to traveling
independently that I could imagine, but it had the HUGE advantage of your
connections with the musicians throughout Turkey.
There is absolutely no
way that anyone traveling independently or in any other group could have
experienced the range and quality of the musicians that we encountered, not to
mention the intimacy of private concerts, dinners, and face-to-face meetings
with the musicians and others in the music world, such as the instrument makers,
publishers, clubs, etc. Your assembling of musicians who had never played
together before was very special, not only for us but apparently for the
musicians themselves. 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!
Not only was the music
very special, but the guided tours were much higher quality than the average.
The variety of places, especially Cappadocia and Ephesus that we saw, made the
trip have double value - during the day we could act as independent tourists or
join the great group activities, and at night, when most tourists are wondering
what to do, we had all of the concerts.
So if anyone wants to travel with
the flexibility of having ample time to explore by yourself but with the benefit
of a real expert to provide very special encounters, the Tangents Turkey tour is
terrific!
Hilary Winslow, Bolinas
Tangents to Turkey trip
in October 2009 exceeded all my expectations. Not only did we have
a great crew with lots of lively discussions and laughter, incredible sights and
wonderful accommodations/food, but also we had amazing music and made personal
connections with many great musicians on this trip. Adding the
fascination of Istanbul and sites outside that amazing city, it was almost like
two trips in one. If you are thinking of going to Turkey, this is
a great way to do it! And if you are not thinking of going to Turkey, it's time
to reconsider!
Donald Fortescue,
Oakland
Don has a descriptive
Tangents Turkey Music Tour blog with photos at
http://dfortescue.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/istanbul-not-constantinople/
Sandra Kelch, Oakland
"The trip was so much
more than just a music tour. Our days were filled with beautiful sights, great
food, wonderful conversation, and exciting music. Istanbul was the perfect place
to see where Eastern cultures meet Western. I loved wandering in the markets
during the day, knowing we had great music to relax to in the evenings. It was a
great experience and I would do it again!"
Check out Sandra’s blog
with photos at
http://farfly.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/we-love-istanbul/
Bryan Tully, Barnes
England
The trip we have been
on and fashioned so expertly by Dore will be one I shall always treasure. My
appreciation of Turkish music has extended manyfold, from I must admit a tiny
original base. The CDs remind me most days of those wonderful times and one or
two go beyond that. As much as I didn't know that the Turks loved pasta so much
and even made it for the Italian market, so I find that one of my CDs,
"Tangolar" by Ibrahim Ozgur, (Kalan) is a repository of Turkish made and
loved Tango music which went through a flourishing period before the second
world war. As is so often the case, it was minority musicians (in this case
Jewish and Armenian) who exploited this rather niche area of creativity.
Ibrahim's songs are of the soft bluesy nostalgic type of Tango singing and
really quite haunting. Such serendipity. I had such lovely conversations with
everyone and none of them really finished. So, if anyone travels to or thru UK
and finding themselves at a loose end in London I hope they will feel free to
drop in /stay over in our lovely little village of Barnes (duck pond and all)
within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Just to add finally I particularly
appreciated how Dore would just have to hear of some special interest by
someone, but he would put himself out to see if that interest could be met.
Thank you Dore for introducing me to Tom Brosnahan. His comments were very
enlightening and also the few discrete words from his quiet ("Actually I'm an
Atheist") friend. At times Dore seemed to run himself into the ground for us to
make sure we got maximum out of everything.
Sure if I go on, he's going to
need a bigger size orange baseball hat.
Nancy Torrey, Bolinas
Needless to say, we had a wonderful 3 weeks in
Turkey, start to finish. The T-10 group was great - it felt like a long dinner
party conversation at times, such an indulgence. The music gave us a window on
the country and culture that we wouldn't have had otherwise. The Turkish people
everywhere were so welcoming and kind and generous - we really want to go back
as soon as time and money permits. Thanks for getting us
there!
Kent Khtikian, Bolinas
I am the type of
traveler who likes to not make reservations, be free from structure and by that
means (hopefully) find a little magic. Dore finds that magic. And it is
consistently done, evening after evening, with musical delight followed by
musical delight that you could not possibly find on your own. ...Go.
Dore Stein, San Francisco
Reason number 3,944 to come to Turkey: Love those persimmons!
Tom and Brenda testimonials coming soon
