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Most of our CDs have been imported from Europe or Asia. They are not all shrink-wrapped, and I am not going to con you by wrapping them here just to make you think they have been sterilized in America. I guarantee that the CDs and the contents are all brand new and in perfect condition. Whenever I can, I use recycled shipping materials. They may not look as pretty on the outside, but they save money and keep the trash dumps a little bit emptier.
Thanks- Cliff, cdRoots

Music from Turkey

Agora - Nim Sofyan - 17.99
"Agora" (Greek for market place) stands for Vienna as a city of music, where day by day musicians from very different countries create a new, common language of music. Six accomplished, versatile instrumentalists build bridges with their music. A basic element of the repertoire are songs from Turkey and Greece that Istanbul born singer and guitarist Alp Bora grew up with. In sophisticated arrangements and original compositions Paul Dangl and Johann Öttl weave this material to a harmonious stylistic whole using in many musical dialects. Listen

Szivetekben orizzetek - Songs of Asik Veysel - Kobzos Kiss Tamas - Erdal Salikoglu - 14.99

Kul and Ashes - Mircan - 17.99
Modern Turkish folk-rooted music

Cig Turkuleri - Cig - 16.99
Çig Türküleri perform traditional and popular folk music from Turkey; an expert septet that places equal emphasis on bendir, kaval, ney and zurna and electric guitar, drums and bass. The sounds range from very traditional to brightly modern.

Alli Turnam (Archive Series) - Haci Tasan - 16.99
Classic recordings of the Turkish baglama

Along The Street (Ethno-Jazz, Turkey) - Asiaminor - 18.99
Ethno-Jazz from Turkey

Istanbul - Dimitrie Cantemir - Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall - special order - please e-mail me
This release is mainly based on 'The Book of Science of Music,' published in 1710 by the Moldavian prince Dimitrie Cantemir, after many years spent in Istanbul. This unique manuscript enables us to discover rare jewels of Turkish traditional music. Jordi Savall already included some of the pieces from this collection in his album Orient-Occident (AVSA 9848), but he decided to explore it further. This portrait of Istanbul wouldn't have been complete without selections from the fascinating Armenian and Sephardic repertoire that was also familiar in the city during this time. Savall attempts to sheds new light on a Golden Age of cultural dialogue, with the help of Hespèrion XXI and outstanding Turkish and Armenian guests musicians. The result is a 'Jordi Savall experience' that goes beyond far beyond music.

Dialog - Yildirim Levent - 18.99
A powerful and unique recording by this Turkish percussionist, who performs on darbuka, daf, bendir, deholla, and other small percussion instruments, does some pyrotechnic 'mouth music' percussion, and on some tracks is accompanied by a small group of guests on bass, percussion, clarinet, baglama, tampura and ney

Neverland Fusion - Yildirim Levent - 17.99
The leader of a new generation of darbuka players in Turkey, inspired by both the Egyptian and Turkish traditions and by the technique of the Indian maestros. This new album contains two solo pieces, but the bulk of the eight tracks feature him playing with both traditional instruments and contemporary electronics and programming in a fusion of styles. The disc is accompanied by a free bonus DVD with live and studio footage and an interview.

The Ottoman Heritage - Kudsi Erguner Ensemble - 18.99
The record label says: Classical Ottoman music gave a magnificent new impulse to the concept of the makam, or modes. Their resulting proliferation, the complexity of their range, and the development of suitably adapted instruments provided a wealth of musical material offering endless possibilities for expanding the repertoire. Kudsi Erguner and his ensemble set out to rediscover this rich national treasure. Here they perform some of the most interesting pieces from the fasil, suites of several works in the same mode, but with different rhythmic patterns: some pesh rev, instrumental preludes that open both fasil and whirling dervish ceremonies and some saz-semai that conclude the suites.

Grand Bazaar - Istanbul Oriental Ensemble - 17.99
This 2006 release by one of Turkey's most successful ensembles features a new line-up incorporating conservatory-trained young musicians who have injected a burst of new energy into the group. Taking their inspiration from Istanbul's Grand Bazaar – the world's biggest covered market – they present arrangements with a contemporary feel that echo the atmosphere of this vibrant city while still respecting the great tradition of Ottoman music. Master percussionist Burhan Ocal once again leads the group, as he has for the past fifteen years.

Macar - Melike - 13.99
Melike breathes new life into the old troubadour songs by creating a Turkish folk style that belongs to the young generation of today. It is a meeting of musicians each with his own roots and background, who come together in the context of Turkish folksongs, influenced and adapted by the Arabic, Turkish, European Jazz and Brazilian idioms they provide. The project was conceived like a novel about Macar and the war.

Jardin Ottoman - Ottoman Garden - Burhan Ocal - 11.99
(CUT OUT) - A solo set of songs for tanbur and voice

Chansons pour la fin d'un jour - Guletkin, Vandenabeele, etc… - 16.99
Dreams through amazing stories of central Anatolia to the Brussels baths, evoked by the singing of the duduk, the clarity of the violin, the harmony of the saz and the subtle play of the double bass. Composed like the second chapter of the album 'Chansons sans paroles' (nominated by Belgian Klara Radio Music Awards 2007), this new album was born from memories of journeys to the heart of Eastern Europe bringing together two ambassadors of Turkish music, Emre Gültekin playing the saz a long-necked Ottoman lute and Ertan Tekin playing the duduk an ancient armenian wind instrument with double reed, and a virtuoso violinist Wouter Vandenabeele and the excellent double bass of Joris Vanvinckenroye.

Magnetic Orient - Okay Temiz Magnetic Band - 17.99
The Turkish percussionist continues his explorations of folk and jazz fusion, joined by an ensemble that reflects global aspirations while maintaining a truly local sound.

Lazuri Birape - Heyamo - Birol Topaloglu - 16.99
Contemporary interpretations of traditional Laz music from Turkey.An essential recording for this music that uses both modern instruments and a wide range of unique folk instruments, from bagpipes to strings to percussion, all surrounding a multitude of male and female voices.

Dogu - Kardes Turkuler - 16.99
Kardes Türküler (Ballads of Fraternity) is the second productlon of the Music Group of Bogaziçi Performing Arts Ensemble (BPAE).

Balkan Messengers - Balkan Messengers - 16.99
Renowned Balkan accordionist Neskho Neshev and a band of drums, bass and violin kick open the Balkan sound with a jazzy edge and a lot of attitude

Dumbaba - Kadir Urun and Deli Selim - 17.99
A compilation of Thracian Gypsy musicians Deli Selim (clarinet) and Kadir Ürün (voice)

The Desperate - Cihat Askin - 14.99
The soundtrack to the movie Umutsuz (The Desperate) features the great Turkish violinist on original compositions, Azeri and Armenian folk songs and pieces from Tchaikovsky and Rahmaninof.

Kar Mi Yagmis Su Harput'un Basina (2 CDs) - Enver Demirbag - 19.99
Turkish singer Enver Demirbag presents 'Harput music' recordings from 1961 to 1990, in 29 tracks on 2 CDs.

Arsiv kayitlari (Archive Recordings - 2 CDs) - Özay Gönlüm - 22.99
Archival recordings of the self-educated baglama master. Presented in an elegant 2 CD set with a small hard cover book in English and Turkish, with extensive historical and musical notes.

Gazeller 3: Gazels on 78 rpm Records - various - 17.99
Classic recordings of Turkish gazel, beautifully remastered from old 78s, presented in a small hard-cover book format with copious historical notes in Turkish and English.

Tre Vise Menn (Three Wise Men) - Mathias Eick, Pasha Hanjani and Ertan Tekin - 18.99
Mathias Eick, the Norwegian jazz instrumentalist has come together with Ertan Tekin and Pasha Hanjani in Istanbul, the city where East meets West and the past meets the present. Together they have improvised a Christmas CD based on Christmas melodies like "En rose er utsprungen" (A Spotless Rose is Growing), "Folkefrelsar til oss kom" (Saviour of the Nations, Come) and "Mitt hjerte alltid vanker" (My Heart is Always with Jesus). Oriental sounds and harmonies fuse with Western melodies to give you an deep feeling for the universal message of the holiday.

The Fountain - Turkish Musical Traditions - Dem Trio - 17.99
The Turkish trio of Murat Ozturk (baglama, tanbura, lavta, cumbus, voice), Murat Salim Tokac (tanbur, ney) and Cenk Guray (fretless baglama, divan sazi) are joined by guests Nursah Acun (voice) and Emre Erdal (kemence) present a 'chamber music' approach to the ancient Ottoman culture, presented in a contemporary interpretation, strongly underlying the relationship betweeen Turkish music and that of the neighbouring regions (Greece, the Balkans, the Middle-East).

Echoes from Afar - Old World Tangos Vol.1 - various - 18.99
A look at how the tango affected the world's music in a series of early performances from Rumania (Jean Moscopol, Titi Botez); Turkey (Seyyan Hanim, Ibrahim Özgür); Russia (Pjotr Leschenko); Greece (Sofia Vembo); Egypt (Farid El Atrache) and Algeria (Lili Boniche).

Tangolar: The Bel Ami of Turkish Tango - Ibrahim Ozgur - 18.99
In the late 20s and 30s tango was very popular in Turkey. For many composers and singers it was the first contact they had with "western" music. Turkish musicians and singer Ibrahim Özgür wrote many tango songs and had an evident talent for nostalgia. His velvety voice was predestined for romantic tangos. The songs on this CD were recorded in Istanbul between 1938 and 1949.

Fenci's Blues - Shtreiml and Ismail Fencioglu - 15.99
The third recording by the wonderful Canadian based klezmer ensemble led by harmonica player Jason Rosenblatt explores ancient connections with Turkey, via the work of Turkish udist Ismail Hakki Fencioglu.

Haydar Haydar: Masters Of Turkish - Various Artists - 13.99
Names like Tanburi Cemil Bey, Refik Bey and Münir Nurettin Selçuk inspire the same passions in Turkey that King Oliver, Dock Boggs and Charley Patton do in the United States. These vintage recordings of Turkish music by a number of great Turkish musicians span the first fifty years of the 20th century, from 1906 to 1953. Repertoire includes Ottoman court, folk, and popular music

Hicaz Dolop - Laco Tayfa - 15.99
Laço Tayfa represents a new synthesis within the Turkish Gypsy tradition. Under the leardership of clarinetist Hüsnü Senlendirici, Laço Tayfa brings Turkish regional folk music into a dialogue with modern global music styles, driven by an adventurous improvisational approach.

Athar (Footprints) - Sameer Makhoul - 17.99
Solo ud performances of traditional Arab music, ancient poetry and Turkish and Andalusian music.

Udi Hrant - Udi Hrant - 16.99
In the tradition of the ud, there is no one quite like Udi Hrant. His style was personal, impeccable and passionate, his power on the instrument was remarkable, and these 1950 recordings show all of this beautifully. Born in the last stages of the Ottoman Empire, the blind Armenian musician is considered one of the greatest masters of the 12-stringed, fretless lute. Previously unissued, these tapes were recorded in New York during his tour to the United States in 1950.

Alla-Turca - Ozel Turkbas - special order
Recorded in Istanbul in the 1960s, the heyday of the Turkish nightclub scene, Alla-Turca is one of the most influential bellydance albums of the era, featuring dancer Özel Türkbas and a line-up of legendary Turkish and Turkish-Gypsy musicians. This reissue includes bonus tracks from a second classic Özel bellydance album, Kismet, featuring the great ney master Aka Gündüz Kutbay. Notes include Özel's original bellydance instructions, with illustrations.

Volumes 4 and 5 (2 CDs) - Tanburi Cemil Bey - 17.99
Renowned for his contributions to the suite forms known as pesrev and saz semai and also through improvisations (taksims) on tanbur and kemençe, Cemil Bey has been the benchmark for modern Turkish composers and performers. These recordings from 1910 to 1914 include taksims, some of Cemil Bey's best compositions, and rare collaborations with great early 20th-century Turkish singers and instrumentalists. All have been digitally remastered using the state-of-the-art CEDAR system.

Master of Turkish Clarinet - Mustafa Kandirali - special order-19.99
The master of the Turkish clarinet, presented in well-remastered redcording, with good English notes. fRoots says: 'This is an infectious, upbeat and highly attractive production.The full range of Kandirali's playing is represented, from the profoundly knowledgable taksim in mode Karcigar to the exuberent, irreverent and quite brilliant Modern Anadol, and the effect of this diversity is actually to underline the essential unity of Kandirali's style. The accompaniment is quite stunning, with some of the finest percussion you will hear on a CD of this kind - and check out the bagpipe imitations played by the violinist on Kirbaç Romani.'

folk music of Turkey (Topic 908) - Topic World Series - 19.99
Excellent representative cross-section of Turkish Anatolian music which remained unique and unaffected by western European influence.