Taş Plak Gazelleri Yazilar Translated

8/6/2019 Ta Plak Gazelleri Yazilar Translated

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TA PLAK GAZELLERSTNE BRKA SZ

AHMET ADA

Ta Plak Gazelleri, znel bir biimde bugnden gelenee bak gibibir amac ieriyor. Elbette her airin gelenee bak as deiir. Bu dafarkl bak alarna, farkl eilim tamalarna baldr. Benim geleneksorunum ile bir bakasnnki farkldr.

En geni anlamyla gelenek, gemite, belli bir sre iinde oluandeerler, eilimler toplamdr. Ta Plak Gazellerini yazarken, neyisorguladm biliyordum. Geleneimizin iinde varolan, fakat resmi tarihve kltrn yok sayd bir anlay sorgulamak istiyordum. Gemite birarada ve kardee yaadmz halklarn kltrel elerini, eilimlerinibugn de yaatmak, daha renkli ve daha zengin bir dnyann iirine yolamak amalarm arasndayd. Ta Plak Gazelleri bu balamda,bugnden gemie uzatlan, gemite bir arada yaadmz aznlklarnyaama biimlerine, kltrlerine, mziklerine bir kpr olmay amalyor.Ama hepsinden te, Rum mzisyenlerin duyarlklarna eiliyor. nsaniduyarl bir oyuncu gibi ierden bugne tayor.

Gemii yeniden yaatmak iin nostaljik bir amacm yok. Bugndengemie baktka, gelenein nesnelliini dtm tarihlerle, gemilebugnn ezamanln ise yaadmz gnlere ilikin gndermelerlekurmaya altm. Elbette zgr ve kurmaca bir dnya bu.

Gazelleri yazarken Anadolu Rumlarnn yaamlar ve mzikleriyle i

ie yaadm. Zaman sorunu yitti. Bugn yazdm. Umudu ve umutsuzluu.O bouk, o sisle kapl yer alt mzii, o mziin yaratclarnn onurlu, badik yaamlar, hzn ve cokular Akdenizli air yreimi rseledi. Nesnelbir dille sylersem; paylatmz ne ok ortak deer vard.

Ta Plak Gazellerini Rebetiko mziini yaratan Rebetisler stnekurdum. Rebetikonun zellikle zmir tarz arklarnda Anadolulu insannyaam biimi fkrr. te bu izgiden yola karak, insan ve mzikmozaiinin zenginlii Ta Plak Gazellerinin esin kayna oldu. Bir dolugndermelerle kurmaca bir dnyay ierdi. Gazeller, tarihsel gndermelerieren ada iirlerdir. Belki yeniyi bulmak iin gazel biimini setim. Tamyle de deil. nk, gazel biimine btnyle bal kaldm da

sylenemez. Sorunsala, rafine ve ayklayc bir tutumla yaklamamgerekiyordu. Eski biime kr krne bal kalarak ayklayc bir tutumusergilemem olanakszd. Bu yzden Rebetislerin yaamlarndaki trajikolan, bir ayrnty kendi iir izgimin dnda yakalamaya altm. Uyaklar,redifler, tartm (ritmi) zenginletirmek iin kullanld. Gazel biimini ise,syleyeceim eyleri en iyi bu biimde syleyebileceimi sezdiim iinsetim. Eski bir biime dnmek gibi bir amacm yoktu. Belki de birgrenei geniletmekti bu aba, bir teknii. Ayrca kkl bir kaynaadnmenin, onu zgrce geniletmenin ne sakncas var ki? Bir air nedenkkszl sesin ki?

Ben biraz da iirin ezgisel deerini nemsediim iin gazel biiminisetim. Szckleri rgtlerken lye bavurmadm ama, mzikdeerlerini nemsedim. Gazellerin sylemi dikkatinizi ekmitir. Onlarda


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ierden bir sylem vardr. Bir oyuncu gibiydim. Bylece gazellerin itenliipekitirildi. Konuma dilindeki imgesel doku, imgesel sylemindayanayd. Gemiimizden kopup gelen ieriklerle, daha dorusuRebetislerin acl, hznl, cokulu yaamlaryla kuatldm. Ayn rediflerleyzyllar boyu yazabilmi Divan airlerinin tekniiyle de Bireysel yaamn

olmad Divan iiri, l bir iirdi. Eskiye eskiye sesi kalmt bugne. Belki, Trkeye yansyan sesinden yararlandm. Ama iir salt mzik deildir.Plastik deerleri de ierir.

Ta Plak Gazellerini izleksel bir btnlk iinde kurup yazarken,dergilerde yaymlanan tek tek iirler iin, daha dorusu iirlerde geenzel adlar iin aklamalarda bulunmak gereini duydum. iirleri aklamakgibi bir kaygm yoktu. Yine de yok. Ancak, gazellerin izleksel omurgasnoluturan Anadolu kkenli Rum mzisyenler, Rebetisler zerinde ksacadurmann yarar var sanrm. Rebetisler, Kk Asya (Anadolu) felaketiylezmirden, Urladan, stanbuldan, Bergamadan, Ayvalktan Atinaya,Pireye gmek zorunda kalan snmaclar. Barakalarda yok yoksulyaamlar.. Aclarn, kederlerini, hznlerini Anadoludan getirdiklerialglara dkmler. 1930lu 40l yllarda kendi kltrlerini oluturmular.Pirede doan Mangalarn kltryle kaynamlar. Bir alt kltr olumu1950lli yllara dek. rettikleri mzik bu alt kltrn bir paras. Rebetikaya da Rebetiko diye anlamlandrlyor. Makamlar nihavent, hzzam,krdillihicaz, rast. Bu mziin zmir tarz ise zeybek havalarna yakn.iftetelli ve uzun havalar zmir tarzn belirliyor. Bir slup, bir tavr. TaPlak Gazellerinde onlarn hznleri, cokular ve gurbet aclar var.

Ta Plak Gazellerine hayal gazeller demek mmkn. Hayal olaninsanlarn yaam servenlerine gndermeler yapmay nceledim bu

kitapta. Mzikleri ve sesleri tozlu ta plaklarda kalan, siyah beyizfotoraflarda solgun yzleri belli belirsiz kan insanlard hepsi. Bir seskanal aradm onlarla iirlerim arasnda.

Ta Plak Gazelleri, gemite ortak bir kltr, ortak sevin veaclar, ortak bir corafyay, ortak bir gelenei paylatmz Trkiyeliaznlklar zerine yazlan ilk iir kitab olma zelliini tayor. iirimizin,1990 sonras, ok u noktalarda gezindii bir dnemde, 2000li yllarneiinde, yan bamda sessiz sedasz kalan geleneksel izgiyi, sesisrdrmeyi yeledim. Ta Plak Gazelleri, bu anlamda da klasik iirlertoplamdr. Klasik tanml iirlerin kklerini nceki kitaplarmda bulmakmmkn. Bu anlamda da yeniliki iirlerdir. Yeniliki iir; biim oyunlar,

szckleri krp bozma, anlamsz zorlama deildir. Gelenekilik adna, lbirtakm biimleri yineleme, eskimi duyarlklara yeniden dnme dedeildir. Yeniliki iir, nce iirdir. yi iirdir ve yaama ilikindir.okanlaml, aykr, resmi ideolojinin bilin znesi olmayan iirdir.

[Ahmet Ada, Ta Plak Gazelleri, Broy Yaynlar, 1995]


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TA PLAK GAZELLERNDEN R :

AHMET ADA

TA PLAK GAZEL

K odasnda elma kokusu, Roza ve ben ne kadar iyiBugn ta plaktan dinledim Roza Eskenaziyi

Sesine Hafz Burhann kular konmu belli kiAtina 1934. Kular, bir onlar kalm anlayan garipliini

Solgun bir resimde Eskenazi, yannda tanburiYznde deli divane hicran, gkyz gergefi

Bir yalnzlktan kurtulmu elinde aelya ieiDeil yok tef bu, uarken m yrei

Ah Roza Eskenazi, bugn ta plaktan dinledim sesiniYllar abuk geiyor. Kimseler anlamyor gln kederini

ABLAM N GAZEL

Ablam iekli basmalar giyerdi. Gurbet ustasyd,Sla m, hzn saatleri mi. Eylln ilk haftasyd,

Salarn tarasa akp giderdi onlarca kederDarlsa bana kumral bir yalnzla balard

Verandann kesinde siyah beyazd sesiAblam yaasayd solgun arklar sylerdi

Eyll myd albmden dm sonbahar mNe gzel bir gld btn zlemi sarard

Bir gn kalbi ku umayan atlaslara gmldYaasayd ku olup cezayir menekelerine konard


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SOLGUN ABLALAR GAZEL

Eski gramofonlarda gl sesi eskir yaz gelirBelli ki yaz deil kular gnden ablam gelir

Ablam gl yetitirir ieksiz balkondaSolgun bir nehirdir gvdesi, umutsuzluu sular gelir

Annemin banda kocaman bir apka, GirittenGelmiiz biz, ablam sevda arklar sular gelir

Solgun bir halk arksdr ablamn glgesiKlhan bir ay kar, kap nlerini sular gelir

Ben uraya koymutum plaklar, imdi k abla,Bir gn alnr radyolarda dnya ire zaman gelir


TA PLAK GAZELLERNNDNDRDKLER

MUAMMER KETENCOLU*


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-yi gnler! Ben Kayseriden air Ahmet Ada, telefonunuzu kasetirketinden aldm.

te bu szcklerle balad air Ahmet Adaya tanmamz. Aylardanda sanrm Martt. Sesindeki okayclk bende derin bir scaklk duygusuyaratt dorusu. Ardndan, zaman zaman yaplan telefon konumalar,

danmalar, yazlr yazlmaz mektupla yollanan gazeller bir yandan keyiflibir dostluk yeertirken, te yandan Ta Plak Gazellerinin ou oluumaamasn evime kadar tad. Kitapta benim yazmn kendisininkindennce gelmesi konusundaki kk tatl srtmemizi o kazand. te belkide yerini hak etmeyen bu satrlar okumaktasnz imdi.

Burada iire ilikin deerlendirmeler yapacak deilim. Sadecegazellerin bende yarattklarn kk mzikal deinmelerle balantl olarakaktarmaya alacam.

Rebekita mziine duygusal bir tanmla yaklaacak olursak: ikikynn yoksullarnn mzii diyebiliriz. Bu dramatik bir kucaklamadr.Mbadele srasnda Kk Asya Rumlarnn ili, yank, Anadolu kokan deil,Anadolunun kendisi olan trkleriyle; Pire ve Selanikin srklendikleri setikleri yaam tarz yznden toplumca soyutlanan, bana buyrukmanga alt kltrnn serke, isyankr ve tekdze trkleri bir yazgypaylarcasna, birbirini avuturcasna kucaklamlardr. lkin ayr ayrsylenen bu iki yoksul kitlesinin trkleri, zellikle 1930dan sonra, engzel yanlaryla bir araya gelip asl Rebetikoyu, o renkli karm meydanagetirdiler.

Bir duygu mziidir Rebetiko. Yurtsuzluun, bitip tkenmek bilmeyengnlk hayat skntlarn, dolu dolu yaanan aklarn, hapishane hayatnnkederini alabildiine yaln bulabiliriz bu arklarda. Bir de derin bir

uyumsuzluu, bir de esrarc, dervi (Rumcaya bu szck, gnlk hayatlailgilenmeyen, boveren anlamnda, devrisi olarak girmitir) hikyelerinibulabiliriz bu arklardaBir de ironik ya da katksz nee ifadeleriniBu,kendine gre asaleti olan yapmacksz arklar, Anadoluyla ortak paydalartamalarna karn, 50 yl gecikmeyle bize, Trk insanna ulaabildi. Nemutlu ki ulaabildi.

Bu arklar insanlarmz gerekten ve derinden etkiledi. Sayca azama sekin ve srarl bir merakl (bu szck de meraklis olarak, bir eyetutkuyla sarlan anlamnda aynen Rumcaya gemitir) kitlesi olutu.Kimileri konuyla ilgili bilgiler edinmeye alt, kimileri ise olabildiincemzik kayd elde etmeye; bazlar da (benim gibi) mzikal adan hemen

hemen tam bir zdeleme yaadlar ve trl soruna karn bu arklarmmkn olduunca aslna sadk yorumlamaya, insanlara ulatrmayaaltlar. Sevgili Ahmet Ada da Rebetiko mziini dinlediinde iinden, oscack air yreinden dalga dalga u gzelim iirler adeta fkrd.

Ta Plak Gazelleri, gazel szc evresinde ilgin bir lbulumaya beiklik ediyor. Trk mziindeki gazel, (Rebetikolarda daamene olarak geen makamsal doalamalar diyebiliriz) birou gazelde syleyen rebetiko arkc ve mzisyenleri, bir de eski bir iir formuolarak gazel. Bu grkemli bulumaya gnmz Trkesinin doyumsuztadyla, gerekliin her gn daha iyi kavranan karamsar yan daeklendiinde bu iirlerin neden bu denli vurucu olduunu belki bir paraolsun anlayabiliriz.


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Kltrn ve sanatn her alannda ciddi bir kopu, gemiin bizedevrettii mirasa kar bir yok sayma, bir burun kvrma eilimiyaygnlamaktadr. Medyann tketime ynelik olarak destekledii kksz,deersiz yaam tarzna karlk yeni sanat da aykrlk ve anlalmazlkeilimine itibar etmektedir. Oysa eer gemile bugn arasnda nedensel

bir iliki varsa, doal olarak sanat da gnmzde ulat dzeyi byklde insanln bize braktklarna borludur gibi geliyor bana. te buadan da son derece ilgin yaratclk rneiyle yz yzeyiz: eskiyleyeninin banazlktan uzak ve kendine zg bir bileimle uyum sorunuolmakszn i ie girdiini hissettim bu iirlerde.

Gazeller, Roza ve Marikann bugn torunlarnca da ayn cokuylahissedilen Anadolu zleminden Papayuanunun naif arklarna, Markonunafyonsuz gemeyen gnlerinden atlak sesine dek birok ayrnty ieriyor.nsan sevgilisini ve koulsuz dostluu bir dehem de en heybetlisinden vealt izilmeden. Bar dilei kendiliinden tm doall ve insancllylaadeta emilmi iirlerce

Vasilis Tsitsanis eer bilseydi Trkiyeli bir airin kendisi iin gazelyazdn, lm deinde daha huzurlu olurdu kansndaym. Ne yazk kibu gazellerden habersiz ld. Gnmzn byk arkcs Yorgo Dalaras Trkiyede sesi ve arklaryla nice yrei bir ate koruna evirdiini, sonrada tedavi ettiini bilseydi plann arkasna Kuzey Kbrs SavunmaBakannn teekkr mesajn i rahatlyla bastrabilir miydi? Dorusubilmiyorum. Ama ite elimizde onlarca gazel var. Suyun te yakasylakardee syleen, nyargsz, sahici Ta Plak Gazelleri..

Tam burada, bir ksm aydnlarmzca kulaktan dolma bilgilerlevarlm yanl bir yargya deinmek istiyorum. Yalnzca kaynaklandklar

kltrel yapnn grece benzerliinden yola klarak Rebetiko mzii vearabesk mzik birbirinin karlym gibi deerlendiriliyor. Oysa daha ilkyllardan balayarak Arabesk mzik bir kazan alan haline gelmi, byklde kendini tekrar eden, tketime ynelik bir izgiye oturmutur.Rebetiko mzii ise yok olmaya yz tuttuu 1950 ortalarna dek, bykoranda, mzisyenlerin dolaysz davurumu niteliindedir. Bu yzdenArabesk mzikte son derece snrl temalara yer verilirken Rebetiko iinbunu sylemek ok zordur. Trkiyede Arabesk sanatlar varlk iindeyaarlarken, Rebetiko bestecilerinin ou, en nemlileri bile yoksullukiinde lm, hak ettikleri ilgiyi ok sonralar bulabilmilerdir.

Rebetiko, Trkiyeyle Yunanistan arasnda asla yok edilemez bir bar

kprsdr. Eski malzemeyle ama yepyeni bir ustalkla dokuyarak rdnbir bar kprs de senden sevgili Ahmet Ada.


FEW REMARKS ON THE ODES OF GRAMOPHONE RECORDS

By Ahmet ADA


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The Odes of the Gramophone Records in a subjective way comprises anintention like the look at tradition from todays perspective. Every poet forsure has got their distinct take for the tradition. This issue has to do withdifferent standpoints and inclinations. My question of tradition diverges

from the same question of the others.With the broadest meaning of it, tradition means the sum of values andtendencies accumulated in the past, within a certain period of time. Whilewriting on The Odes of the Gramophone Records, I was aware of what Iwas investigating. I wanted to question the perception which was ignoredby the official history and culture although it does exist in our tradition. Tokeep the cultural elements and tendencies of peoples with which we havelived together in a brotherly fashion in the past alive, to pave the way forthe poetry of a more colorful and richer world have been among myobjectives. In this context The Odes of the Gramophone Records aims toact as a bridge between today and the past, life styles, cultures and musicof the minorities we had lived together in the past. More than anythingelse it touches upon the sensitivities of the Greek musicians of Turkishnationality. It carries the humanistic tenderness from inside into todayslight.I have no nostalgic intention to sustain the past again. By taking a lookfrom today at the past, I just wanted to build the objectivity of tradition bymy dating and contemporaneity of the past and today by references aboutthe days we live in. Sure enough this is a free and fictitious world.While writing the odes I lived closely through the lives and music of the AnatolianGreeks. The time challenge was gone. I wrote about today. Hope and despair.

That husky and befogged underground music and dignified and proud lives of thecreators of that music, their dolefulness and enthusiasm drained of strength ofmy Mediterranean poet heart. Objectively put, we had so many values incommon.I built The Odes of the Gramophone Records on the Rebetises whocreated so called Rebetiko music. In Rebetiko music, especially in zmirgenre songs, the life style of the Anatolian man springs up. Taking thispoint into consideration, the richness of the human and music mosaic hasbeen the inspiration source for The Odes of the Gramophone Records.With many references it featured a fictitious world. The odes arecontemporary poems containing historical references. Perhaps I selected

the genre of ode to find the new. Maybe it is not like that. This is sobecause it cannot be claimed that I stuck to the ode style completely. Ishould have approached the problematique in a refined and sortingattitude. By blindly complying with the old style, it would have beenimpossible to display a sorting approach. For this reason I toiled to catchthe tragic thing in the lives of the Rebetises or one another detail outsidemy poetical line. Rhymes were used to enrich rhythm. I took up the odestyle since I felt that it would reflect best what I was going to say. It wasnot my intention just merely to go back to an old style. Maybe it was aneffort to expand a custom and a technique. Besides, what harm do turningto a fundamental source, expanding it freely bring? Why would a poet

have decided to go for being rootlessness?


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One of the reasons I picked the ode style is the fact that I attachimportance to the melodic value of poetry. As I organize the words, I didnot apply meter yet I cared about their musical values. Discourse of theodes should have caught your attention. There is an inner rhetoric inthem. I was like an actor. This way the candor of the odes was

consolidated. The imaginary texture in the everyday speech was the base for thefictitious rhetoric. I was surrounded by the contents reflecting our past orrather the sad, gloomy and enthusiastic lives of the Rebetises. By thetechniques of the Ottoman Divan poets who had been able to write forcenturies using the same rhymes too Ottoman Divan poetry was a deadone. As time passed that poetry is only recognized today with its sound.Perhaps I took advantage of its sound reflected in Turkish. Neverthelesspoetry does not amount solely to music. It contains some plastic valuestoo.As I organize and write The Odes of the Gramophone Records in athematic integrity, I felt the need to give explanations to the every singlepoem, rather proper names mentioned in the poems. I did not have aconcern such as clarifying the poems. Still I dont. Yet I think it isworthwhile to dwell a little bit on the Rebetises, the Greek musicians withAnatolian heritage who make up the thematic backbone of the odes. TheRebetises are the ones who had to migrate from zmir, Urla, stanbul,Bergama, Ayvalk to the Athens and Piraeus following the Minor Asia(Anatolia) catastrophe They had to translate their pains, sorrow andgloom into the musical instruments they brought with them from Anatolia.In 1930s and 1940s they created their own culture. They had merged

with the culture of the Mangas born in Piraeus. Up to 1950s a sub-culturewas forged. The music they produced is part of this sub-culture. It is calledRebetika or Rebetiko. Modes (makam) of their music are nihavent,hzzam, krdillihicaz and rast. The Izmir style of this music sounds close tothe western Anatolian zeibek music. iftetelli (kind of folk dance music inAnatolia) and uzun hava (unmetered folk song) determine zmir genre. This is one form and one posture. In The Odes of the GramophoneRecords there are their sorrow, enthusiasm and the pain of living far fromtheir homes. The Odes of the Gramophone Records could be called asfantasy odes. I gave priority making references to the life adventures ofthe fantasy humans in this book. They were all the persons whose music

and voices were left in the dusty gramophone records, whose pale facesappeared vaguely in the white black photos. In between the lines of mypoems I searched with them for a voice track.

The Odes of the Gramophone Records is unique in a sense that it is thefirst poetry book to be written on the minorities of Turkey with whom weshared a common culture, common enthusiasm and pains, a commongeography and a tradition. In an era of our poetrys wandering in theextreme margins after 1990, in the thresholds of the years of 2000, Ipreferred the voice, the traditional line which was beside me quiet andretiring. In this vein The Odes of the Gramophone Records is a classiccollection of poetry. The roots of the poems defined as classical could bespotted in my previous books. They are in this sense are progressivepoems. The progressive poetry does not mean style games, distortion of


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the words, to coerce senseless ones. It is not, for the sake oftraditionalism, repeating the already dead genres, and returning to theobsolescent sensitivities. Progressive poetry is first of all just poetry. It isfine poetry and it has to do with life. It is multiple-meaning, contradictiouspoetry, not the consciousness agent of the official ideology specialties.

[Ahmet Ada, The Odes of the Gramophone Records, BroyPublications, 1995]Translated by Mesut Senol

THREE POEMS FROM THE ODES OF THE GRAMOPHONE RECORDS:

THE ODE OF THE GRAMAPHONE RECORD

The aroma of the apple in the winter room, Roza and I seem so happyToday I lent an ear to the gramophone record of Roza Eskenazi

On her voice for sure nest the birds of Hafz BurhanAthens 1934. The birds, the only ones who appreciate her living far from home

Eskenazi in a faded picture, beside her the tambourMad sorrow as a spoon on her face, the sky tenter

Got out of loneliness, the azalea flower in her handIt is not because of this tambourine, in her flying, her heart got cold

Oh Roza Eskenazi, today I lent an ear to your voice on the gramophone recordYears pass by so quickly. Nobody appreciates the roses discomfort

Ahmet AdaTranslated by Mesut Senol

THE ODE FOR MY ELDER SISTER

My sister wears cotton with flower figures. The master of living far from home,Was it her home, the hours of sorrow? It was the first week of September,

Had she combed her hair, so much grief could have streamedHad she been upset with me, she used to start brown solitude

Her voice was black and white in the verandas cornerHad my sister lived, she would have sung bleak songs

Was is September or was it autumn fallen from the albumHow beautiful rose she was, embracing the whole aspiration

One day her heart sank into the atlases no birds fly thereHad she lived, she could have become a bird to perch on the rose periwinkle

Ahmet Ada


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Translated by Mesut SenolTHE ODE OF PALE ELDER SISTERS

On the old gramophones the voice of the rose grows old, the summer entersObviously it is not the summer; my sister comes from the sky of the birds

My sister breeds roses in the flowerless balconyTheir body flows like an ashen river, her despair runs like water

A huge hat in my moms head, from CreteWe have come, oh my sister love songs run wet

A bleak folk song sings the shadow of my sisterA toughie moon comes out, water runs in front of the door

Now it is the winter my sister, I just have put the records here,One day it is played on radios, its time comes in the people

Ahmet AdaTranslated by Mesut Senol



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THE THOUGHTS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE ODES OF THE GRAMOPHONERECORDS

By Muammer KETENCOLU

-Have a nice day! I am Ahmet Ada, the poet from Kayseri. I got your telephonenumber from the music producers company.This was how I met with the poet Ahmet Ada. I guess it was March. In fact,pleasing element in his voice urged a feeling of warmth in me. Afterwardstelephone calls made from time to time, exchange of advice; the odes sentimmediately as soon as they are written cultivated a jolly friendship and carriedmany creation phases of The Odes of the Gramophone Records up my home.He won our minute sweet disagreement on whether my writing would precede hiswas won by him. Now maybe you are about to read the lines which do notdeserve their position.Here I am not going to make evaluations regarding poetry. I would only try tonarrate what effect had the odes on me in association with some musicalreferences. If we approach the Rebetico music using a sentimental definition; wecan call it the music of the poor of the two shores. This is a dramatic embrace.During the population exchange with their touching songs though these songsdid not smell Anatolia but they were Anatolia themselves they were dragged orwent into a life style in Piraeus and Thessalonica by their choice, and because oftheir life style they embraced the isolated, independent manga sub-cultureswild, disobedient and monotonous songs as if they share the same faith and as ifthey console one another. First separate, the songs of these two poor massesespecially after 1930s merged together with their most beautiful elements togenerate the original Rebetiko, its colorful blend.

The Rebetiko is music of sentiment. We can find all out and out in these songs

about being far away from home, never ceasing daily life troubles, lovesexperienced fully and the grief of the prison life. Besides we can sense a deepincompatibility and the stories of a hashish addict dervish (this word entered theGreek language as dervisi to describe a person who is complacent and notinterested in daily life) Their expressions of irony and pure joy as well Thesein their own way noble and unpretentious songs although they had manycommon grounds with Anatolia have reached Turks with a delay of 50 years.

Thank God they did. These songs have really and deeply affected our people. An exclusive andpersistent merakl (curious; this word was burrowed by Greeks as meraklismeaning a person who takes up one issue with great passion) mass emerged.Some made efforts to collect relevant information, and some (like myself) have in

full identified themselves with this music. They struggled to interpret these songsas original as possible and to convey them to the people. When dear Ahmet Adaheard the Rebetiko music, these most beautiful poems have sprung up from hisnice and warm poet heart,The Odes of the Gramophone Records facilitates a triple meeting around theword of the ode. The ode in Turkish music (in Rebetiko music they are comparedto improvisations in different musical modes called amene), Rebetiko singersand musicians of Rebetiko many of whom perform the odes, and the ode as anold poetry form. We can make a sense of it a bit once this encounter wasenhanced with the insatiable taste of the contemporary Turkish and the gloomyside of the reality which is appreciated more every day, we can perhaps

somewhat feel how sharp these poems sound.


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Serious breaking away from every field of culture and the arts, ignoring theheritage that the past handed down to us and an inclination for considering itunimportant have been becoming pervasive.As opposed to the medias promotion of consumptive, rootles, valueless lifestyle,this new art shows respect towards the inclinations for contradiction andincoherence. It seems to me that if there is a causal relationship between thepast and today, naturally the level of art reached today owes it to a great extentto the legacy left to us by humanity. Because of this we are faced with aninteresting creativity example: I felt with these poems that the old and the newintertwined with each other unfanatical and in a unique combination withoutexperiencing any compatibility problem.

The odes contain a lot of details from the yearning for Anatolia felt with the sameexcitement today by the grandchildren of Roza and Marika to Papayuanus naivesongs, and Markos cracked voice of the days of opium. Love of the man and hisunreserved friendship as well moreover the most tremendous ones and withoutbeing underscored. The wish for peace has been absorbed automatically by thepoems with all natural and humane features

I think had Vasilis Tsitsanis would have known that a poet from Turkey hadwritten an ode for him, and then he would have been more in peace in his dyingbed. Unfortunately he died unaware of these odes. The great singer of our days,

Yorgo Dalaras had he known that he flared up and then cured many hearts inTurkey by his voice and songs would have readily had his second thoughts tohave the Minister for Defense of the Northern Cyprus write the appreciationmessage on his record. I really do not know. Yet here you have tens of odes. Thegenuine The Odes of the Gramophone Records conversed fraternally andunprejudiced by the other side of the waterExactly right here I would like to touch upon a misconception acquired by someof our intellectuals through hearsay information. To lead to the same result bythe resemblance of the cultural structure they originate, the Rebetiko music and

the arabesque music are being treated as if they correspond to each other. Infact, from the very early years, the Arabesque music has become a profit makingfield, and it got established in a way pretty much to repeat itself and geared upfor consumption. The Rebetiko music on the other hand up until the mid 1950swhen this music was about to disappear to a large extent maintained its qualityas being the indirect expression of the musicians. Because of this and as opposedto the fact that the Arabesque music has been providing very limited number ofthemes, it is hard to say the same thing about the Rebetiko music. And againwhile the Arabesque music singers have been living a life of luxury, the majorityof the Rebetiko composers and even the most prominent ones have died inpoverty, finding their deserved interest much more later.

The Rebetiko stands as an indestructible peace bridge between Turkey andGreece. Dear Ahmet Ada, you have built and presented a peace bridge out of theold materials woven by you through a brand-new mastery.

MUAMMER KETENCOLU*Translated by Mesut Senol



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Biyografi

*Muammer KETENCOLU

1964 ylnda, zmir'in Tire ilesinde dodu. Mzikeitiminin temelleri ilk ve ortaokul yllarnda krlerokulunda atld. alglar iinde en duyarak ve severekald akordeonu seti.1983 ylnda Boazii niversitesi Psikoloji Blm'ndebalad eitimi srasnda deiik lkelerin halkmziklerine ilgi duydu. Balangta, ada Yunan mzii;

Laika ve Rebetika ile tomurcuklanan bu ilgi, yllar iindegenileyerek Balkan ve Bat Anadolu mzii arlkl birtemele oturdu.

HALK MZ ARV

zellikle 1989'dan sonra, folklor aratrmalar zerine younlat.Akademik nitelikli olmaktan ok, dikkatli bir aratrmac duyarllylayrtt bu almalar, hem kendi repertuvarn zenginletirdi, hem dednyann drt bir yanndan mzik ve belge ieren ok kapsaml bir arivintemellerini oluturdu. Sanatnn yirmi yldr tm dnyadan geleneksel

mzikleri ieren zel LPler, kitaplar ve CDler toplayarak oluturduu zelve byk bir ktphanesi vardr.

ALBMLER VE YAYINLADII SEKLER

Albmleri: Sanat, 1993 ylndan beri Kalan Mzik bnyesinde pek okalma gerekletirdi. 1993'de eski ve yeni Yunanca arklardan oluan ilkalbm; Sevdal Kylar/ Latremena Akrogalia ile dinleyiciyemerhaba dedi. 2001 Nisannda sanatnn ocukluk d olan KaranfilinMoruna/Anadolu Zeybekleri yaynlad. Ketencolu'nun 1980'lerdenberi ok yakn dost olduu sekin mzisyen Cengiz Onural ile beraberkaydettii bu albm; hem zeybek mziinin hayat bulduu iki lke Trkiyeve Yunanistan'n mzik geleneklerini harmanlayan bir deneme, hem dekitapndaki yazlar ve katkda bulunan mzisyenler asndan birbelgesel yapt niteliinde. Balkanlarn her yanndan halk arklar ve danshavalar seslendiren Bir Balkan Yolculuu topluluuyla 2001 EyllndeAyde Mori adl albm, 2007 Temmuzunda ise bir trafik kazasndavefat eden topluluun klarnetisi Aytun Nevzat Matrac ansna, konserkaytlarndan oluan Balkan Yolculuu/ The Balkan Journey adlalbm yaynlad. Ketencolu, doduu topraklara bir vefa borcu olarakhazrlad zmir Hatras/ Smyrna Recollections adl albmn Ocak

2008de dinleyenlerin beenisine sundu. Eski zmirden Trk, Rum veYahudi Trkleri alt baln tayan albm 1922 ncesinin okkltrl


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zmirine mzikal bir gezinti. Krka yakn profesyonel ve amatr mzisyeninkatk salad srprizlerle dolu bu albm yz sayfaya yakn ayrntl birkitapk ieriyor. Ketencolu, 2010 Haziran'nda bestelerinden oluan"Gezgin / The Traveler" adl albmn yaynlad. Mziini besleyeneitli geleneklerden esinler tayan ezgilerine yer verdii bu albm

sanatnn ilk beste albmdr.

Yaynlad Sekiler: 1994 ve 1996'da iki Rebetiko sekisi olan;Rebetika ve Rebetika II; zmir ve stanbul'dan Yllanmarklar sekilerini, 1995'te, kklerini geleneksel Dou Avrupa Yahudimziinden alan Klezmer tarzndan rneklerin yer ald KlezmerMziinin ncleri balkl sekiyi ve yine 1995'te HalklardanEzgiler balyla her kasette bir lke ya da blgenin halk mziigeleneini en saf rnekleriyle biraraya getiren Ermenistan Halk Mzii,Azerbaycan Halk Mzii, Grcistan Halk Mzii (berya zkan'n

katklaryla) Orta Asya Trki Cumhuriyetlerden Halk Mzii isimleriyle drtkasetten oluan bir antoloji yaynlad. Lozan Mbadilleri Vakf tarafndanhazrlanp 2007de yaynlanan Belleklerdeki Gzellik: MbadeleTrkleri isimli kitap- cd almasnn cd editrln yapt. Bu almambadele ile Yunanistandan Trkiyeye gen ve anadilleri Trkeolmayan mbadillerin getirdikleri trklerin alan kaytlarndanKetencolunun setii rnekleri iermektedir. Kitapla birlikte hazrlananbu sekide mbadillerden derlenmi Rumca, Makedonca, Pomaka veUlaha 38 trk yer almaktadr.Yine Lozan Mbadilleri Vakfnn Yunanl KEMO kurumuyla birlikte 2009dayaynlad Meriin ki Yakasndan Ezgiler balkl iki cdlik albmn mzik

editrln yapt. Bu almada Meri nehrinin Trkiye ve Yunanistantarafnda yer alan farkl toplumlarn halk mzii rnekleri bir arayagetirildi.

MZK TOPLULUKLARIMUAMMER KETENCOLU VE ZEYBEK TOPLULUU

Bat Anadoluda yzyllarca beraber yaam Trkler ile Rumlarn mzikgeleneini sahneye tayan topluluk yedi mzisyenden oluuyor. BatAnadoludan Trke ve Rumca zeybekler, halk trkleri ve zmir tarz

rebetiko rnekleri seslendiren topluluk 2003 ylna dek rebetiko mzii icraeden Kompania Ketencolu adyla tannmakta idi.stanbul, Ankara, zmir zellikle de Ege kylarnda birok konser verentopluluk ayrca Yunanistan'da; Atina, Selanik, Trikala, Veria, skee,Gmlcine, Kozani, Rodos, Midilli ve Girit, Almanya'da; Berlin, Bremen,Bielefeld, Frankfurt Fransa'da; Paris, Strasbourg ve Metz ehirlerinde eitlifestivallere katld; 2004 ylnda Brksel Gzel Sanatlar Saray BOZARdasahne ald. Belika ve Hollanda'da birok kez sahne alan topluluk 2007'deAtina Festivalinde ok baarl bir konser verdi. Topluluk Yunanlmzisyenlerle yurt dnda ortak konserler de vermekte, atlye almalaryrtmektedir.

BALKAN YOLCULUU


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Balkan Yolculuu topluluu Trkiye Trakyas'ndan, ek Cumhuriyeti'nekadar geni bir corafyadan halk trklerini ve dans havalarn en safhaliyle yorumlamaktadr. Sanatnn eitli dnya mziklerine yaptaray dolu yolculuklar 1993- 1997 yllar arasnda gerekletirdii

Yeryznn Yedi Rengi adl konserler dizisi deneyimiyle zenginleerekzamanla ak bir Balkan mzii tercihi haline geldi. Balkan Yolculuu,Bulgaristan Trakyasnn en tannm arkclarndan Penka Pavlova ile1997'de gerekletirilen kk bir turneden sonra, Trkiye'nin pek okehrinde, Kbrs, Hollanda, Belika, Bulgaristan, Makedonya, Almanya ,srail ve Yunanistan'da pek ok konser verdi. Muammer Ketencolu BalkanYolculuu ile 2001'de Ayde Mori, 2007'de Balkan Yolculuu adl iki albmyaynlad. 2009 baharnda ok baarl bir Bulgaristan turnesigerekletiren topluluk farkl ve otatntik performansyla ulusal basndanbyk ilgi grd, pek ok TRT programna katld.

MUAMMER KETENCOLU VE KADIN SESLER TOPLULUUUzun sredir kurduu bir d gerekletiren sanat, Anadoludankadnlarca yaklm trkleri seslendirmek zere 17 kadn sesini birarayagetirdi. 2005 sonundan bu yana, Kadn Sesleri Topluluu adn verdiikoro ile Ketencolu kadnlara zg ou zaman gz ard edilmi toplumsalkltr yanstan kadn az trkleri ustalkla sahneye tayor.

Topluluun repertuar, Anadolunun eitli yrelerinden kna havalar,ninniler ve hznl trklerle birlikte kaklar ve ziller eliinde sylenenelenceli dn havalarn ieriyor. Topluluk, kadnlarca sylenmi i ve ev

yaamn anlatan trklerle kadn duyarlln yanstan sevda trkleriniyresel ive ve azlar da koruyarak seslendiriyor. Baz trkler yaln birdzenleme anlayyla iki sesli olarak yorumlanyor. Topluluk, kadn aztrkleri seslendirirken gelenee saygy temel alyor. Bugne dek eitlitelevizyon programlarna katlan ve nemli konserler veren toplulukta yeralan koristler arasnda mimar, avukat, biyolog, mhendis, retmen verenciler bulunuyor.

Anadoluda kadnlardan trk derlemenin halk mziinde karlalan ennemli zorluklardan biri olmasndan yola kan Muammer Ketencolu veKadn Sesleri Topluluu, trklerin aynasnda Anadolu kadnnn kltrn

ve gerekliini gnmze tayor.Topluluk pek ok televizyon programna konuk oldu, sevilen dizi ElvedaRumeli'nin dizi mziklerine katk salad.

DER SANATILARLA BRL

Sanat 1993'den 1997'ye dek, kendisinin de yer ald ve her yl yeni birrepertuvarla yinelenen "Yeryznn Yedi Rengi" adyla, amatr veprofesyonel birok mzisyeni bir araya getiren, geni katlml konserlerdzenledi. 1996'da vi Dermanc'yla birlikte nce Yunanistan'n Livadyaehrinde, daha sonra da Atina'da byk usta Mikis Theodorakis'le aynsahneyi paylat.


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1998de Bulgaristann Dimitrovgrad ehrinde arkc Penka Pavlova veakordeoncu Petko Daev ile birlikte sahne ald. Bulgar arkclar KitchkaSavova, Darina Slavceva ile konserler verdi. 1996-1998 yllar arasndasanat kriye Tutkun'la yurtii ve yurtdnda pek ok etkinlie, radyo vetelevizyon programna katld. 1997 ve 2002 tarihlerinde iki kez Kbrs Rum

Kesimi'nde dzenlenen bar konserlerinde yer ald.

1999 Eyllnde piyanist ve flt Triandafillos Sifiris ve ekibiyle skecedeok baarl bir konser verdi.

1997-2000 yllar arasnda tiyatro sanats Tuncel Kurtiz ve arkcSema'yla; Seyyan Hanm Tangolar ve Cahit Irgat iirleri balkl deneyselbir proje gerekletirdi.

Aralk 2001de Yunanl arkc Mario ile birlikte Selanikte bir konser verdi.2001-2002 k sezonunda stanbul Bykehir Belediyesi iin her ay farklve zel konuklarla belli bir geleneksel mzik temasn inceledii"Yzyllarn Miras; Muammer Ketencolu'yla Mzik Yolculuu" etkinliinigerekletirdi.2002 Maysnda arkc Teomann konserine bir para ilekonuk oldu.2005te Yunanl arkc Aliki Kayaloglu ile birlikte sahne ald.2006 Maysnda tiyatro sanats Mahir Gnirayn ynetiminde FedericoGarcia Lorca ansna pek ok sanatnn katlmyla gerekletirilen LorcaSra Gecesi etkinliinde sahne ald.

Sanat ayrca mzik anlayn paylat birok mzisyen dostuyla, gerekdorudan geleneksel mzik; gerekse kklerini geleneksel mziktenalmakla birlikte yeni araylara ak eitli mzik trlerindeki ortakalmalarn srdryor. zellikle; Neyzen Aziz enol Filiz ve Tamburi BirolYayla'nn kurduu Yansmalar , Cengiz Onural'n ncesaz topluluu ve Lazmzisyen Birol Topalolu, Mircan Kaya ve buzuki ustas Orhan Osman ileyapt almalar bu erevede belirtmek gerekir. Sanat stdyomzisyeni olarak pek ok profesyonel kayda akordeonuyla renk verdi.

RADYOCU KMLYLE KETENCOLU

Ketencolu, 1993 ylndan bu yana birok zel radyo istasyonunda, btndnyadan halk mziklerinin tantmna ynelik radyo programlar hazrlaypsundu. 1995 Kasmnda kuruluundan bu yana Ak Radyo 94.9'da,merkezine Balkan mziinin yerletii "Tuna'nn Beri Yan" adl haftalkprogram hazrlayp sunuyor. Tuna'nn Beri Yan her aramba 13:00-14:00saatleri arasnda yaynlanmaktadr. 2004te Belikada Radyo KlaradaTrk halk mzii programlar sunan sanatnn, Polonya devlet radyoistasyonlarndan Radio Bialystokta 2004ten bu yana zaman zamanhazrlad Turk halk mzii programlar yaynlanmaktadr.

BELGESELLER, FLM VE OYUN MZKLERSanat, aratrmac kimliiyle pek ok belgesel filmde bilgi, gr veperformansn izleyiciyle paylat. Bunlardan bazlar; Bulgar ynetmen


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Adela Peevann ynettii skdar arksnn kkeni aratran Bu arkKimin?( Whose is this song?) adl belgesel, Nefin Dinin ynetmenliiniyapt ksa Rebetiko tarihini yanstan belgesel, Yunanl ynetmen YorgosZervasn ektii zmirin ve stanbulun Mzii adl belgesel ve TrkiyeRadyo ve Televizyon Kurumunca sekiz blm olarak ekilen Tarihin

Kysnda Surii belgeselidir. Sanat, Alman WDR Televizyonu tarafndanyaplan g konulu iki ayr belgesele de konumac olarak katld. Srocuklar, Sokaktaki Adam, plak adl uzun metrajl filmlerde de mzikdanman, mzisyen ve oyuncu olarak yer ald. Pek ok film ve televizyondizisi mziklerinde Ketencolunun akordeonu duyuldu.Ketencolu, Ankara Devlet Tiyatrosunca Ekim 2005te sahnelenmeyebalayan ve nfus mbadelesine deinen Sevgili Hayat adl oyun ileynetmenliini Handan Kmbetliolunun yapt, sinema yazar Agahzgn yaamna dair Perdede Ik zi adl belgeselin mziklerini yapt.

ULUSLARARASI MZK KARYER

Ketencolu, geleneksel mzik alannda dnya lsnde oluturduukariyeri ile uluslararas dzeyde aranan bir sanat haline gelmitir.

1995te Alman yapmc ve radyocu Birger Gesthuisen Alman radyoistasyonu WDRde yaynlanan radyo programn Ketencoluna ayrd.Amerikann Sesi- Voice Of America radyosunda Talan Serdemprogramnda almalarna yer verdi.

2002de Kbrs Rum Kesimi radyosu Rigde aratrmac NearhosGiorgiadisin program konuu oldu.

2003te Ayde Mori albmnden Jarnana adl arks, dnyadangeleneksel mzikleri derlemelerde sunan Rough Guide dizisinin bir paras

olarak The Rough Guide To The Balkans adlsekide yer ald. Kbrsta yrtlenCyprus Thingadl albmde de Mausa Liman adl trkyle yerald. Ayn yl sanat Polonyada Radyo Bialystok,Belikada da Radio Klara iin Trk halk mziiprogramlar hazrlayp sundu. bar abalaryla

balantl olarak Olive Tree Music tarafndan2004te ngilterede yaynlanan ve eitlilkelerden sanatlarn birer eserle katld

11-18 Austos 2005 tarihleri arasnda dnyann sekin Klezmertopluluklarndan Brave Old World tarafndan Almanya'nn Weimar ehrinde"Crossroads stanbul to New York" adyla dzenlenen atlyealmasna eitmen olarak davet edildi. Etkinlikte Trk-Yunan ve Klezmergeleneklerinin l etkileimi, benzerlik ve farklar irdelendi. lk kez 2000ylnda katld bu projede 2005 ylnda Brave Old World ( Alan Bern,Michael Alpert, Kurt Bjorling, Stuart Brotman) topluluunun yansra nlaratrmac- mzisyen Zev Feldman, Amerikal kemanc StevenGreenman , Yunanistandan tannm kemanc Kyriakos Gouventas ile


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gitarist Yannis Alexandris ve Hollandal akordeoncu Sanne Mricke ilebirlikte eitmen kadrosunda yer ald.Ketencolu, 19-29 Austos 2005 tarihleri arasnda, Brezilyann Sao Paulokentinde konserler vermek zere oluturulan Akdeniz Orkestrasna

( Orquestra Mediterranea) davet edildi. Mzik ynetmenliini Brezilyalmzisyenler Magda Pucci, Livio Tragtenberg ve Carlinhos Antunesinstlendii 23 mzisyenden oluan bu uluslararas orkestrada MuammerKetencolu mzik danman, akordeoncu ve arkc olarak yer ald. eitliAkdeniz lkelerinden gelen mzisyenler ile Brezilyal mzisyenlerinoluturduu bu orkestra Sao Pauloda konser verdi. Bu konserlerdenderlenen kaytlar 2006 ylnda CD ve DVD olarak OrquestraMediterranea adyla Brezilyada yaynland.

Ketencolu, 2006da Romanya Devlet Televizyon kanal TVRInternationalde yaynlanan ve ynetmenliini Dona Tudorun yapt 8blmlk Ocolul Marii Negre- Karadeniz Etrafnda balkl belgeselde,Romen mzii hakkndaki grleri ve akordeonuyla verdii rneklerle yerald.

2006da Bentbaa ismiyle Bosna Hersekte yaynlanan, 2007de iseAlman firmas Piranha tarafndan dnya basks yaplan Sevdalinka Sarajevo Love Songs adl sevdalinka arklarn ieren albmde bir eskisevdalinka arks ve ona bal olarak Bkrete bir Trk isimli bestesiile yer ald.

2007deAlman devlet radyo kanal DWde Nfus Mbadelesinin 80.yldnm nedeniyle yaynlanan programda Trk- Yunan ortak mzikgelenei hakkndaki grleriyle yer ald.

Haziran 2007de Ketencolu Folk ls baarl bir Hindistan turnesigerekletirdi. l, Yeni Delhide Trkiyenin her yanndan trklerseslendirdii konserler verdi.

Temmuz 2007de Yunan Sto Kokkino radyosunda, gazeteci, yazar SteliosElliniadisin program konuu oldu.

8 Aralk 2007de Yunan devlet televizyonu EPTin davetlisi olarak StinYgeia Mas adl sevilen bir televizyon programna konuk oldu. Bu programnl arkc, besteci Stelios Kazantzidis ansna yapld.2009 Maysnda talya'da Padova niversitesi Mzik Tarihi ve Sanatblmnde doktora rencilerine "zmir'deki okkltrl Mzik Gelenei"balkl bir konferans verdi.

Mzisyenin setii trn, ncelikle kendisini mutlu etmesi gerektiineinanan Muammer Ketencolu, her zaman tutkuyla yorumlad mzik, yineAnadolu, Yunan ve Balkan mziidir.Uluslararas medyada Muammer Ketencolu:


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Difono Music Magazine, Greece/ by Alexis Vakis (2008)GlobalRhythm Review on Smyrna Recollections by Malachai Phelps(2008)Rootsworld # 428 Review on Smyrna Recollections by FrancescoMartinelli (2008)

Songlines- Review On Sevdalinka by Simon Broughton (2008)Todays Zaman - Musical Recollections of Smyrna by MuammerKetencoglu (2008)Turkish Daily News- A Musician Who Fights and Survives/ by VercihanZiflioglu ( 2008)Qantara.de A Musical Traveler: Muammer Ketencoglu/ by Tuba Tunak(2008)Time Out Delhi -Turkish Delight- [2007]Friday Magazine- Dubai- A Feel For Life- [2007]Songlines Mzik Dergisi Review on Sevdalinka-Simon Broughton[2007]Elefterotipia - Yunan Gazetesi, drt kez[2002; 2004; 2005; 2007]I Lesvos Mas- Yunan Dergisi[2006]

Jerusalem Post, Billboard-100% Trk klezmeri - Barry Davis [2005]International Herald Tribune- Something is happening in Istanbul,Miltiadis Polyviou [2004]Rebetika stanbuldan Yunan mzii - Franz L Kessler [2004]Froots Magazine - Ayde Mori, Chris Williams [2002,]Froots Magazine - Anadolu Zeybekleri , Chris Williams [2002]


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Biography

Muammer KETENCOGLUBorn in Tire, Izmir in 1964, Muammer Ketencoglu received his initial

musical training in a school for the blind during his years of primary and

secondary education. He came to realize that among the musical

instruments he encountered, the accordion was the one that he played

with the greatest emotional intensity and deepest satisfaction. He played

popular music until 1986; however, during his years in the Bosphorus

Universitys Department of Psychology, which he entered in 1983, he

became increasingly attracted to the folk music of different peoples of

the world. Having initially focused on contemporary Greek music

(Laika) and Rebetica, his affinity for other peoples' folk music ultimatelyled him to discover his main field in the traditional music of the Balkans

and Western Anatolia.

HIS FOLK MUSIC ARCHIVE

From 1991 on his studies on folklore gained impetus. His work, characterized by the

sensitivity of a meticulous explorer rather than an academic, led him to diversify his repertory

while also enabling him to build up a comprehensive collection of world folk music. For 20

years he has been collecting special LPs, books and CDs on traditional music from all over

the world, which now forms a huge private library.

HIS ALBUMS AND COMPILATIONS

Albums: His first personal album, a Kalan Music production,Sevdali Kiyilar - LatremenaAkroyalia (Passionate Coasts) covering old and new Greek songs, appeared in 1993. In April2001 Ketencoglu recorded his second albumKaranfilin Moruna Anatolian Zeybeks incooperation with Cengiz Onural, a distinguished Turkish musician and composer. As well as

being an exquisite collection of Turkish and Greek traditional music in the peculiar Zeybek

(Zeibek) form, this work, in fact Ketencoglu's childhood dream, also serves as a documentary

due to both the authentic musicians taking part and the enclosed booklet about the Zeybek

form. With his Balkan Journey Ensemble, which performs folk songs and dance tunes from

all over the Balkans, he released Ayde Mori in 2001 and The Balkan Journey in 2007,

which is a tribute to the ensembles clarinetist Aytun Nevzat Matrac, who died in 2006. Hisfifth album zmir Hatras- Smyrna Recollections, was released in December 2007, as a


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gift to his homeland. Subtitled Turkish, Greek and Jewsih Folk Songs From Old Smyrna

( Izmir), this album is a musical journey into the multicultural life of Izmir before the

population exchange between Greece and Turkey.Ketencoglu released his sixth solo album "Gezgin / The Traveler" which is composed of his own compositions for the very first time, inJune, 2010.

Compilations: He prepared two collections of Rebetiko songs,Rebetika andRebetika II,which were produced in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Another anthology compiled by

Ketencoglu and produced in 1995 was entitledPioneers of the Klezmer Music. This albumbrought together examples of Klezmer music based mainly on traditional eastern European

Jewish music. During that same year he prepared an anthology,Halklardan Ezgiler (PopularTunes), comprising four albums, each containing folk songs that best represent the traditionalmusic of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (with Iberya Ozkan's support in selecting the songs)

and the Central Asian Turkic Republics respectively. He made the selections and edited the

album The Beauty of the Memory; Songs of Population Exchange , which includes fieldrecordings made and released by Lausanne Population Exchange Foundation in 2007. This cd

contains 38 folk songs in the Greek, Macedonian, Pomak and Vlach languages collected fromMuslim immigrants who came from Greece. In 2009, he made the selections and edited the

album Folk Songs From Both Sides Of Meric River" released by Lausanne PopulationExchange Foundation and Greek association KEMO.

HIS ENSEMBLES

MUAMMER KETENCOGLU AND HIS ZEYBEK ENSEMBLE

This ensemble consists of seven musicians. Carrying the common musical tradition of

Western Anatolia (Asia Minor) to the stage, the ensemble performs Turkish and Greek folk

songs, Izmir style rebetikos and zeybeks (Zeybek is a folk music and dance form originating

in Western Anatolia and is still performed by Turkish and Greek musicians today.) This

ensemble was formerly known as Kompania Ketencoglu and performed only rebetiko music

until 2003.

Having given many concerts in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and, especially, in the western coast of

Turkey, the ensemble took stage in many festivals in Greece; in Athens, Kozani,Thessaloniki,

Trikala, Veria, Xhanti, Komotini, Lesvos, Rodos and Crete; in Germany; in Berlin, Bremen,

Bielefeld, Frankfurt; in France; in Paris, Strasbourg and Metz, as well as performing at theBozar Fine Arts Palace in Brussels in 2004. The ensemble also gave many concerts in Gent,

Belgium and participated in The Athens Festival in July, 2007. Zeybek ensemble gives joint

concerts with Greek musicians abroad and participates in workshops.

BALKAN JOURNEY

Balkan Journey Ensemble performs folk music, in its purest possible form, from a large

variety of countries in the region from Thrace to the Czech Republic. After many trails in the

different musical traditions of the world, and following the enriching experience of the Seven

Colors of the Earth concerts, which he organized during the years 1993-1997, the artists

interest clearly focused on Balkan music. Beginning in 1997 with a concert tour in Bulgaria

with one of the most famous singers of the Bulgarian Thrace region, Penka Pavlova, theensemble went on to give many concerts in Turkey, Cyprus, The Netherlands, Belgium,


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Bulgaria, Macedonia, Germany, Greece and Israel. Balkan Journey released two albums

namely Ayde Mori in 2001 and The Balkan Journey in 2007.

MUAMMER KETENCOGLU & WOMEN VOICES ENSEMBLE

Ketencoglu founded this chorus of 17 women, presenting delightful womens folk songs fromall over Turkey, in 2005. The repertoire includes joyful wedding songs, traditional songs of

love and separation, and powerfully moving laments and lullabies. These extensively

researched and carefully collected songs portray the colorful, hidden cultural lives of women

in Turkey. From east to west, from north to south, all regions of Turkey are represented in

accordance with each regions authentic music, dialect and culture. The songs are also

occasionally accompanied by members of the group performing the traditional folk dance

symbolic of that particular region. The director Ketencoglu prefers a minimalistic approach in

order to keep the folk music faithful to its purest form. He applies simple polyphony to some

songs which are harmonically suitable. Some of the chorus members also play traditional

wooden spoons and other percussion instruments, often highlighted by traditional regional

vocal expressions and clapping, creating a lively and entertaining atmosphere. The uniqueexperience of Ketencoglus Womens Voices Project is further enriched by a series of

astonishingly beautiful, varied and evocative solo performances. This special project has been

featured in several television programs and has been performed in front of enthusiastic

audiences across Turkey.

MUSICAL COLLABORATIONS

Taking part in various groups and individual musicians' works, Muammer Ketencoglu has

also given many solo concerts both in Turkey and abroad: From 1993 to 1997 he organized

yearly concerts known as Seven Colors of the Earth, each with a new repertory of folk songs

performed by a number of musicians, including himself. In 1996, together with the native

Anatolian Greek singer Ivi Dermanci, Ketencoglu shared the stage with the great Greek

musician Mikis Theodorakis, first in Livadia and then in Athens. In 1998 he took stage with

the Bulgarian singer Penka Pavlova and the accordionist Petko Dachev in Dimitrovgrad,

Bulgaria. Between the years 1996- 1998 he gave performances accompanied by the Turkish

folk singer Skriye Tutkun in numerous concerts and radio and TV programs. He performed

twice, in 1997 and 2002, in the "Peace Concerts" organized in southern Cyprus. He also gave

a highly successful concert with the pianist, flutist Triandaphillos Siphiris and his ensemble in

Xanti on the first of September 1999; World Peace Day.

Between the years 1997-2000 he engaged in experimental music, along with the actor Tuncel

Kurtiz and the singer Sema. In December 2001, he gave a successful concert in Salonika withthe Greek singer Mario. Within the framework of its 2001 2002 winter program, Istanbul

Metropolitan Municipality organized monthly concerts entitled "An age old heritage - a

musical journey with Muammer Ketencoglu" where, each month, Ketencoglu presented and

interviewed a different musician performing examples of a particular musical tradition. In

2005, he performed with Greek singer Aliki Kayaloglou in Istanbul. In 2006 he took stage at

an event dedicated to Federico Garcia Lorca, made with the participation of many important

Turkish artists under the direction of actor Mahir Gunsiray.

Ketencoglu presently continues to work with a number of musicians with whom he shares

artistic concerns, making not only folk music of different countries, but also other forms,

exploring new styles, inspired by traditional music. These include his cooperation withvarious music groups, including Yansimalar and Ince Saz founded by Cengiz Onural,


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bouzouki master Orhan Osman, as well as collaborations with Mircan Kaya and the Laz

musician Birol Topaloglu ( Laz people live in the northern Black Sea region, possessing their

own distinct culture and musical tradition). Ketencoglu has also participated with his

accordion in a number of professional recordings, as a studio musician.

KETENCOGLU AS A RADIO PRESENTERSince 1993 Ketencoglu has produced and presented many radio programs on various radio

stations, giving examples of folk music from all over the world. Since November 1995 he has

been both producer and presenter of the program "This Side Of the Danube". Mainly

focusing on Balkan music, this program is broadcast every Wednesday between 13:00 - 14:00

hours by Aik Radyo 94.9, commonly regarded as the most reputable radio station in Istanbul,

renowned for its high quality music, arts, and culture and literature programs. He has

presented Turkish folk music programs on Radio Klara in Belgium in 2004 and, from time to

time, he prepares and presents Turkish folk music programs on Radio Bialystok in Poland.

MOVIES, DOCUMENTARIES, COMPOSITIONS FOR THEATRE

Apart from his musical activities, Ketencoglu has contributed his background and skills insound research to many documentaries, as well as taking part as an actor in a number of

feature films as a musician. These include; a documentary about the roots of the song

Uskudar, Whose Is This Song?, directed by Adela Peeva, the film director Nefin Dincs

documentary reflecting the short history of Rebetika, the documentary The Music of Istanbul

and Izmir, directed by Giorgos Zervas and Within the city walls on the edge of history, a

documentary shot by Turkish Radio and Television. Ketencoglu has also narrated two

separate documentaries made by Germanys WDR Television. In addition to participating in

a number of Television serials and films with his accordion, his work as music advisor,

musician and actor can be seen in various Turkish films such as Sir Cocuklari, Sokaktaki

Adam.

Ketencoglu composed and arranged the musical score for Dear

Life, a theatrical production about the population exchange

between Greece and Turkey, which was first staged in October

2005 by Ankara State Theatre. He also composed and arranged

the music for The Light on the Curtain, a documentary about

the life of the famous cinema critic Agah Ozguc, directed by

Handan Kumbetlioglu.

ARTICLES, PRESENTATIONS

Ketencoglu wrote articles for:

Kazancidis, a book in Greek about the great composer and singer Stelios Kazancidis,

written by Thomas Korovinis, published in Greece in 2005.

Letter from Istanbul, an album by Derya Turkan and Sokratis Sinopoulos released by

Golden Horn Records.

Orient de Rouge, an album by Kocani Orchestra, released by Yeni Dunya.

He presented a paper entitled Greek Folk Music from Izmir and Environs in Istanbul in

2004, at a seminar on the compulsory population exchange between Greece and Turkey. This

presentation was included in a book published by Bilgi University Press in October 2005.


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He has given many lectures on Rebetiko, Balkan music, and traditional music in general, as

part of several activities, seminars and workshops in Turkey, Greece, Germany and India.

HIS INTERNATIONAL MUSIC CARREER

Ketencoglu has become a popular musician in the international music arena, with his

invaluable contribution to traditional music gaining him world-wide respect and admiration.

In 1995, the German producer and radio presenter Birger Gesthuisen made a program on

Ketencoglu and his work on The German radio station; WDR. Radio presenter TaclanSuerdem introduced his work on the Radio program Voice of America.

In 2002, Cypriot researcher Nearhos Giorgiadis hosted Ketencoglu on his radio program

Radio Rig.

The song Jarnana, from his album Ayde Mori, was among the tracks included in the 2003

compilation The Rough Guide to the Balkans, as a part of the Rough Guide series, famousfor releasing compilations presenting traditional music from all over the world. Ketencogluswork also featured in Cyprus Thing , another compilation, which was released by OliveTree Music in England in 2004 and covered contributions by many musicians from different

countries in relation to the peace efforts in Cyprus. In the same year, he prepared and

presented several Turkish Folk music programs on Radio Bialystok in Poland and on Radio

Klara in Belgium.

Ketencoglu was invited to teach a Klezmer music workshop entitled Crossroads Istanbul toNew York, which was organised by the outstanding Klezmer band Brave Old World inWeimar between 11-18 August in 2005. The teachers and participants studied the interaction

between Turkish, Greek and Klezmer music. Ketencoglu first began participating in these

workshops in 2000 along with Brave Old World (Alan Bern, Michael Alpert, Kurt Bjorling,

Stuat Brotman), the famous researcher- musician Zev Feldman, American violinist Steven

Greenman, Greek violin virtuoso Kyriakos Gouventas, the famous guitarist Yannis

Alexandris and accordionist Sanne Mricke from The Netherlands.

During 19-29 August 2005, Ketencoglu was in Sao Paulo, Brazil participating in the

Orquestra Mediterranea , formed by Brazilian musicians Magda Pucci, Livio Tragtenberg

and Carlinhos Antunes. Muammer Ketencoglu took part in this international orchestra,

consisting of 23 musicians from different Mediterranean countries and Brazil, as accordionist,

vocalist and music advisor. Orquestra Mediterranea gave three concerts in Sao Paulo. The

CD and the DVD of these live recordings were released under the title OrquestraMediterranea by SESC in Brazil.

Giving interviews and performances, he participated in an 8 episode Romanian documentary

entitled Ocolul Marii Negre - Around the Blacksea directed by Dona Tudor. This

documentary was broadcast onRomanian state television channel TVR Internationalin2006.

On the international compilation album Benbasa , Ketencoglu recorded the sevdalinka songPokraj Vrela with the addition of his own composition A Turk in Bucharest on the same

track. This album was first released by Yaman Records in Bosnia in 2006, and later released

with the title Sevdalinka Sarajevo Love Songs by the German record label Piranha in2007.


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In 2007 he gave interviews on common Turkish and Greek musical traditions to the Germanstate radio station DWfor a program featuring the 80th anniversary of the Turkish Greek

population exchange.

In June 2007 Ketencoglus folk trio was welcomed in New Delhi, India, where he performed

folk music from all over Turkey.

In July 2007, journalist and author Stelios Elliniadis hosted Ketencoglu on the Greek radio

stationSto Kokkino.

On 8 December 2007, Ketencoglu apperead on the popular Greek TV show Stin Ygeia Mason EPT, Greek State Television. This show was dedicated to the memory of the famoussinger and composer Stelios Kazantzidis.

Muammer Ketencoglu gave a conference on multicultural musical heritage of old Izmir

(Smyrna) at Padova University in May 2009 in Italy.

IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Songlines- Review On Sevdalinka by Simon Broughton [2008]

Diphono Music Magazine, Greece [2008]

GlobalRhythm Review on Smyrna Recollections by Malachai Phelps [2008]

Rootsworld # 428 Review on Smyrna Recollections by Francesco Martinelli [2008]

Todays Zaman - Musical Recollections of Smyrna by Muammer Ketencoglu [2008]

TDN- A Musician Who Fights and Survives / Vercihan Ziflioglu [2008]

Qantara.de A Musical Traveler: Muammer Ketencoglu by Tuba Tunak [2008]

Time Out Delhi - Turkish Delight- [2007]Friday Magazine- Dubai- A Feel For Life- [2007]

SonglinesReview on Sevdalinka-Simon Broughton [2007]

Elefterotipia- Greek Newspaper [2007]

I Lesvos Mas- Greek magazine[2006]

Jerusalem Post, Billboard September- Turkish Klezmer gives 100%, by Barry Davis

[2005]

Three articles in the Greek newspaper Elefterotipia [2002; 2004; 2005]

International Herald Tribune, Something is happening in Istanbul, by Miltiadis Polyviou

[ 2004]

Rebetika - Greek Music From Istanbul, by Franz L Kessler [2004]

Froots Magazine- Ayde Mori, by Chris Williams [2002]

Froots Magazine- Anatolian Zeybeks, by Chris Williams [ 2002]

Performing Anatolian, Greek and Balkan music remains a unique musical experience of great

satisfaction for Muammer Ketencoglu, who believes a musician's particular choice of musical

genre should first and foremost correspond to his or her intellectual expectations at a time

when music is becoming increasingly commercialized.

PAST PERFORMANCES

2009 Strasbourg, FRANCE2009 Stegna, Rhodes, GREECE


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2009 Kozani, GREECE

2009 Kaolinovo, Dulovo, Isperih, Yablanovo, BULGARIA

2009 Anogeia, Crete- GREECE

2008 Anvers, BELGIUM

2008 Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

2007 Athens Festival, Scholieon- Athens, GREECE2007 India International Center- New Delhi, INDIA

2007 De Centrale- Gent, BELGIUM

2006 Interkulttheater- Vienna, AUSTRIA

2005 New Cameri Theatre - 2 performances - Tel Aviv, ISRAEL

2005 3 public performances- Crete, GREECE

2005 Sesc Theatre, 3 performances with Mediterranean Orchestra -Sao Paolo, BRAZIL

2005 Kemnade International Festival, Wasserburg Haus- Bochum, GERMANY

2004 Palais Des Beaux- Art- Brussels, BELGIUM

2004 Neopolis Balkan Festival- Thessaloniki, GREECE

2004 Vlasti Village Balkan Festival- Kozani, GREECE

2003 Bobigny Theater, Orient Express Project- Paris, FRANCE2002 Tsitsanis Days- Trikala, GREECE

2002 Peace Activity- Nikosia, CYPRUS

2001 Neapolis Balkan Festival- Thessaloniki, GREECE

2001 Arda Festival- Orestiada, GREECE

2000 Bretiny- Paris, FRANCE

2000 Public Performance- Plovdiv, BULGARIA

2000 Public Performance- Skopje, MACEDONIA

2000 Public Performance- Komotini, GREECE

2000 Herder Kirche- Weimar, GERMANY

1999 Dialog Festival- Berlin, GERMANY

1999 Berliner Philharmonie- Berlin, GERMANY

1999 Public Performance- Xhanti, GREECE

1998 Haus Der Kulturen Der Welt- Berlin, GERMANY

1998 Zurich, SWITZERLAND

1998 Film Festival- Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS

1997 Institute Du Monde Arabe, Turquie Plurielle- Paris, FRANCE

1997 Asia Minor Night- Veria, GREECE

1997 Lesvos, GREECE

1997 Peace Activity- Nikosia, CYPRUS

1996 with Mikis Theodorakis- Athens, GREECE

1996 with Mikis Theodorakis- Livadia, GREECE

Documents

Taş Plak Gazelleri Yazilar Translated