Collecting items from their various other Turkish albums, Arc here has a nice, single-disc retrospective of previous work in the area. The music itself covers the spectrum, from timeless gypsy love songs to 20th century oud and saz pieces in a light classical form. Much of the work is excellent, with nods to tradition as well as the present, and inarguable skills on the part of the performers. At the same time, the Turkish horns can get somewhat grating to the unaccustomed ear, so tread with caution. Listen particularly for the saz of
Huseyin Turkmenler, the vocals from Vivienne Dogan Corringham (also from
Noor Shimal), and the shawm of Mustafa Sahin. As with many such compilations, digging for the sources of the music might be the more fruitful enterprise in the long run, but this is a nice sampler, and a starting point for any such exploration. ~ Adam Greenberg