Amaze: Awesome John

purchase [ Nazar Degdi]

Taking some liberalities with the theme, I replace Awesome with Amazing. (Hey... J. David said as much: relatively slim pickins for the current theme.)

However, the theme does leave us open to post songs that have some aspect - by the blogger's definition - of amazing to them, and this fits the bill by my definition.

I have previously taken the liberty to flog Turkish musicians which few of you are likely to have encountered.

So, here's another.

Nigh on 20 years ago, a celebrity to Turks (but essentially unknown outside) made the decision to return from a life in the U.S. to ostensible fame in his home country. Initially, he was feted at home: his own TV show, DJ gigs and some stage time playing guitar. But it never really panned out to the big time. Yeah, his son has since made some millage from the father's name - but more on his own credits (aside from the inherited name & fame)

The man's name: Asim Can Gunduz.

Few of you are likely know him. Fewer still are aware that he played Jimi Hendrix in <Jimi and Janis Together> on Broadway, as well as playing various NY bands, including Concrete Sky and Katawba, playing the Bottom Line and as an opening act for Deep Purple, Leslie West, Billy Cobham and more.

You might be amazed that Turkey produced someone as amazingly talented as Asim Can - 20 plus years ago.


Now, Internet ASCII character representation makes it hard to display the Turkish undotted i, and pronunciation guides don't help a lot, but this musician's moniker "Awsome John" helps sort it out. The undotted Turkish i in his name makes the two words (Asim and Awesome) sound very similar. It's up to you to decide if he is in fact awesome.

One of the most accessible YouTube videos for the man (died 2016 age about 60) is an original called Boku Yedik, clearly translated as "We ate S*#t", or "we've been had".

Asim Can's son continues his father's musical tradition - granted, in his own style.

Regional Music: Istanbul's Dolapdere Big Gang

Dolapdere Big Gang: Another Day in Paradise
[purchase]

Turkey – Istanbul in particular – deserves its name as a crossroads of cultures. Half of the city is in Europe, the other half in Asia. And while it isn’t the political capital of the country, it is the cultural and economic center. Noted as one of the coolest cities in the world several years ago, it certainly has a lively music scene. (Madonna was on stage a few blocks away from me a few days ago)

Traditional Turkish music is based on a different style of music than what we listen to – nay –what we in the West can count the beats to: time signatures of 5/8, 7/8, 9/8 and so on. Believe me, if you didn't grow up with it, you can’t keep time. Turkish music also uses a different scale. Whereas western music typically uses a scale of 7 notes (ABCDEFG - well... add a few more with sharps and flats), the Turkish musical scale uses notes that are half-way between (for example half way between B and B-flat).

Combining East and West gives rise to some creative/curious mixtures and the convergence of East and West certainly colors the current Turkish music scene. About 5 years ago, I learned about a musician named Mercan Dede, who fuses East and West: a month later, I saw him perform in Seattle. Of course, two prominent Turks made their mark on music we in the west are familiar with: Arif Mardin (Atlantic records) and Ahmet Ertegun. There are several other examples (MFO, Sezen Aksu, Tarkan..)

About 4 years ago (2008) I was partially responsible for bringing to our stage a band that produced one of these East/West combinations. Their music was an Eastern interpretation of Western songs. Like most of the tracks on "Just Feel" (yes, the title is in English) in the link above, you’ll hear local instruments: among them notably the “kanun”, a version of the autoharp and the common use of the clarinet as the song resolves to a more recognizable format. Unfortunately, the band has not made the international splash I thought they might: personally I love the mélange and thought for sure that their music was destined for international recognition.