In the last few years, numerous compilations, mixes and prominently placed samples have given us an idea of how great Turkey’s music form the late 1960s and 1970s was. The focus lay mostly on psych-rock á la Erkin Koray, Barış Manço or Ersen. In addition, Turkish jazz has found a greater audience than their usual rare groove heads. Now, the Compilation »Jazz Sessions«, dedicated to guitarist, composer and singer Özdemir Erdoğan is pushing this movement even further, considering that the tracks of the super rare records »Sivrisinek Saz ve Caz Orkestrası« (1973) and »The Color of My Country in Jazz« (1980) are incredibly fascinating and multi-facetted. First and foremost, »Jazz Sessions« is jazzy. Obviously. Solo parts of fusion, swing and bebop smoothly merge into one another, and yet, there are traditional vocals, instruments and melodies. Each track is brilliant and versatile in its very own way. The folk song »Misget«, for example, surprises us after three minutes of folklore with funky brass sounds and wah-wah-guitars – a goose bumps experience. In contrast, the killer-ballad »Gurbet« almost sounds like psychedelic rock, while »This is My Soul« and the »Chameleon«-cover »Like A Herbie« are among the record’s highlights due to their unique mix of traditional sounds and funky influences. Erdoğan’s Armstrong-imitation on »Hello Dolly« is so spot on that it could almost be counted as a parody. Thankfully, for this year, an Erdoğan-compilation in the name of funk has been announced – all we can say is: yes, please!
Jazz Session
