A workout of instrumental music for the baglama (a long-necked lute, one of the forms of the saz, the major Turkish instrument). The music can become rather cumbersome at points in its occasional repetitiveness, but nonetheless it is undoubtedly well performed. These are two masters of the instrument providing a worthwhile collection of songs. The highlights are more or less spread throughout the album, with a special virtuosity displayed in
Musa Eroglu's work on the cura (a shorter version of the baglama/saz), in tracks five through seven. For Turkish music in general, other albums are probably more noteworthy (see
Munir Beken's
Art of the Turkish Ud); this album may not be too bad for a look specifically into the saz/baglama, however. ~ Adam Greenberg