Customer Reviews

Alleys of Istanbul

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great cd. It's mainly Turkish folk songs given a new spin. They are performed all acoustically (I think) with heavy, heavy string emphasis and no vocals (except some artsy background audience babble). The pieces are energetic and like they say - great for dancing. They're mainly fast-paced with a couple of slower ones.

The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is that the pieces seemed to be very stylistically the same. Heavy string emphasis and the dynamics had the same punch it/back off/punch it/back off interpretation in almost all of the pieces.

It's very lively and entertaining. It's simply a very great CD. I recommend it to anybody who wants to learn about eastern music. Great for dancing.

The first two tracks are particularly good for dancing - I have seen the second track performed in a dance and it was spectacular. Nice balance, very well performed. Recommended for anyone who is into or wants to learn more about middle eastern music.

I am not trying to be mean, but there is just something very homogenized sounding about this CD: yes, it has lively rhythms, but every song sounds the same, it lacks, to me, what jazz musicians call "swing."

honestly, it sounds a bit like when conservatory trained classical musicians dabble in ethnic music, its got a kind of corny quality to it.

it just feels rather soulless to me.

and again, i know this is rather harsh, but its just my opinion.

and to be clear, this is a recording made in the usa, i think north carolina. as i recall i dont believe any of the musicians are turkish, not that they neccesarily have to be, but....

This CD is great, particularily for anyone into Turkish or Middle Eastern music. It has a good variety of songs, and all are very well done. Probably good for dancers too. Too bad there is not a sample to play on here, but you have to hear it to see how great it is.

This CD is terrific, buy it! Buy it now! All around great, and great drumming too! I was ready for the next CD to come out the minute I finished listening to this one. Also check out the Turku/Ghawazee video in the video section.