by Chris Nickson
A Turkish singer, a Belgian cellist and an Iraqi qanun (zither) player might sound like an odd combination, but it works beautifully and atmospherically on this release.
There’s only one old song, the opener “Seherde Bir Baga Girdim,” with the others composed by the musicians, but the feel is the same throughout, exploratory and passionate. With such sparse instrumentation, the magic is in the imagination of the players, and there’s no shortage of that. Singer Melike Tarhan floats like a cloud over the proceedings, but also dives into the music. It’s symbiotic as the trio trade and spark each other, a work of somewhat mysterious art that creates magic, resonating of the East without ever belonging to any specific culture.
Very highly recommended.