Today I watched the documentary Crossing the Bridge - The Sound of Istanbul by Fatih Akin, narrated by bassist Alexander Hacke. It explores the question of whether Istanbul is where the East starts or whether questions of “east” and “west” are something far more complex.
It investigates the question by looking specifically at the music that is created there. A fusion of cultures and musical genres create Turkish rock, while atmospheric Turkish trance, dance music, rock hip hop permeate the film. Historical influences have resulted in songs in 9/8 and 5/8 time which were initially jarring to my western ears, but quickly began to feel comfortable. Some artists pay homage to Erkin Koray, a father of Turkish rock, and testament to the fact that genres are inseparably a music style and a lifestyle.
A highlight was watching a small ensemble of players perform with keyboards, a dj table, clarinet and brass instruments, guitar and bass while a whirling dancer spun in traditional dress onstage. Focused conversations with street performers, lamenting life on the street by stating bluntly “you can't romanticize concrete … when you lay your head on it, you know it is concrete.”
Music is meant to be a celebration and a performance, and some of the most interesting music comes where cultures and ideologies merge, and where efforts to monetize music create a stale, predictable commodity. True music lies in the connection between individuals.
I wasn't able to understand this city.
I was introduced to Orhan Gencebay and Saz culture. Gencebay - in addition to the bad ass video of him playing saz in front of a painting of him playing saz - explained his objection to his music being described as Arabesque.
I also heard for the first time of the velvet-voiced singer Sezen Aksu. She is referred to by one person as “like a goddess and maybe Turkey's most famous singer.” Notable to me was the way Aksu had used her fame to celebrate earlier performers who paved the way, much like Lady Gaga has repeatedly done here in the United States with legends like Tony Bennett. She expresses emotion powerfully through breath, sighs, and her delivery of lyrics.
At the end, Hacke says, "It's time to leave. I wasn't able to understand this city. I only managed to scratch the surface. But one thing is for sure, I fell in love with the music of Istanbul."