Turkey is well-known for its classical art music developed during the Ottoman Empire. It’s impossible to deny the genius of classical musicians like Tanbûrî Cemil Bey, but I’ve always gravitated toward folk music. In Anatolia, the most popular folk instrument is certainly the bağlama, sometimes called saz (and not to be confused with the tiny Greek baglamas). The bağlama belongs to a family of string instruments used throughout the region; Syria, Kurdistan, Persia, and elsewhere. The instrument comes in many sizes, from the small cura to the enormous divan sazi. The instrument has seven strings, dived into 3 courses, the two highest courses have 2 strings, while the lowest course has 3. The tuning varies depending on the mode of the song, with the open strings acting as drones to emphasize the different characteristics of the mode.
Mucip Arciman was a folk musician from central Anatolia who became popular in the 1940s and ’50s.

2012 was a good year. I posted 20 sides here on ShellacHead, pretty much a whole CD worth of material. Jon Ward and I played some good stuff on the Gramophoney Baloney podcast back in September. I also completed two projects for the Dust-to-Digital label, both should be out in the first quarter of 2013 (more on those soon).
As 2012 draws to a close, I thought it might be fun to put together a selection of some of the records I’ve collected this year that have not been reissued on cd, as far as I know. So here it is, “20 from 2012,” a good old-fashioned mix tape type thing. Download the zipped archive (mp3s and a PDF), burn to cd, print the insert and stick it in one of those old jewel cases you’ve got lying around!

(Edit: This compilation is now available via Bandcamp for $1, more if you’re feeling generous!)

Download Here!

1. Leyenda India, Davila y Rodriguez  PUERTO RICO
2. Koulou Liladi, Cheikh Benoubia  ALGERIA
3. Mandolin & Harmonium Ghat, J.D. Marshal & H. Don Vincent  INDIA
4. Das Pintele Yid, Yenkowitz & Goldberg  NEW YORK
5. Lala Satane, Mabulukwe Anzima  SOUTH AFRICA
6. Tsifte Telli, Dimitrios “Salonikos” Semsis  GREECE
7. Seberu Beru, M. Legwara Kadipela  SOUTH AFRICA
8. Mabaad Ghachia, Cheikha Nejma Elouahrania  ALGERIA
9. Not Me , Denzil Laing Trio  JAMAICA
10. Tico Tico No Fuba, Sivuca  BRAZIL
11. Unidentified Iraqi Test Pressing,  IRAQ
12. Parachinka Kolo, Sava Jeremic  SERBIA
13. Keghetzig Erevan, E. Saaruni  ARMENIA
14. Ndamulombu, F. Gwenzi  MOZAMBIQUE/ZIMBABWE
15. Mal Ghusnil Dhahab, Mohamed Faris Alkhalifa  BAHRAIN
16. Lalla Aicha, Raisette Embarka  MOROCCO
17. Rakkosa Kiz, Inst. Group  UZBEKISTAN
18. La Pimienta, Tobias Plicet  PANAMA
19. Jamadal Bardas Aladat, Abdullah Jan  PAKISTAN
20. Cumbia Campesina, Los Corraleros De Majagual  COLOMBIA

This post is riffing off the latest from the legendary Excavated Shellac. As JW points out, “There were certain regions in Sub-Saharan Africa where local music was barely recorded – if at all – by commercial companies or ethnographers, until at least after World War II.” But records from these “barely recorded” places have a way of popping up, and his fantastic track Haalpulaar’en people of Senegal and Mauritania is a perfect example. Here’s a companion record, of sorts.
The vast majority of the populations of Mauritania and Senegal are Sunni Muslims. In the 19th century, several Islamic Sufi orders became prominent. Of these, the Khadria (Qadiriyyah) brotherhood is not only the oldest in West Africa, but likely the oldest Sufi order in the world, founded in the 12th century. The Khadria are one of the two main Sufi brotherhoods in Mauritania, and one of several orders in Senegal. The Sufism of the region also incorporates animistic elements from pre-Islamic religions along with the search for an ecstatic experience, often through music or prayer.
This track features a type of ritual drumming and chanting called Tabala Wolof, performed at night on a set of large kettle drums (tabala) with a chorus of singer/chanters. This is the 3rd part of the poem “Inal Mourada” (“Nostalgia of the Prophet”) composed by the famous Cheikh Saad Bouh (1848-1917). The poem is spread over at least four record sides, maybe more.
Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to locate any information about the Studio Chaouy label, which, according to the label, was located in Senegal’s capitol, Dakar.

For further listening and reading:
An amazing post by Matthew Lavoie on the variety Sengalese Sufi cassettes: http://blogs.voanews.com/african-music-treasures/2008/09/23/sufi-sounds-volume-two/

And a contemporary recording from Village Pulse I have yet to hear: http://www.villagepulse.com/tabala.html