Product Description

The great musical traditions of the Middle East include serene, meditative courtly works; and the continually building, relentlessly propellant music that drives the famed Whirling Dervishes to spiritual ecstasy. These haunting, timeless sounds still echo through the years, and those echoes have now reached the United States. Whirling is Omar Faruk Tekbilek's first recording as a soloist. Here, Tekbilek presents a full range of traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern music that will appeal to Western listeners and fans of the early Celestial Harmonies recordings. Whirling's diverse music includes new compositions by Tekbilek and Brian Keane, and also features a beautiful new version of an early work by Deuter, the contemplative La Ilaha Il Allah. The recording begins with a traditional Sufi work associated with the Mevlevi or Whirling Dervishes.

Tekbilek, plays an impressive array of instruments on Whirling, including the instruments he is most often associated with, the ney flute and the lute known as baglama. Tekbilek's arsenal also includes lesser known instruments like the Arabian clarinet and Turkish oboe, as well as a battery of jar drums and frame drums, and the Western accordion. Guest musician, Brian Keane, contributes atmospheric washes of guitar and synthesizer, and a small but select ensemble of Middle Eastern musicians round out the sound with Arabian lutes, zither, and percussion.

About the Artist

Omar Faruk Tekbilek, born in Turkey, has lived and worked in the New York area since 1976. He is a virtuoso on several Middle Eastern instruments and is a capable performer on dozens more. Tekbilek became familiar to many listeners through his work on Brian Keane's soundtrack to Suleyman the Magnificent and subsequently through two additional collaborations, Fire Dance and Beyond the Sky, that combined the sounds of the Middle East with Western synthesizers and guitar. He has appeared at the Kool Jazz Festival and the New Sounds Live Concert Series, and has performed with Don Cherry, Ginger Baker, and many others.

Brian Keane is a talented composer and performer whose credits include many solo guitar and small ensemble recordings and a large number of soundtracks. He is also sought after as a producer, and has worked with Tibetan Bells II artists, Henry Wolff & Nancy Hennings.

Oud or lute virtuoso, Ara Dinkjian, and renowned percussionist, Arto Tuncboyaciyan, are both members of the popular band, Night Ark, which combines Western and Near Eastern musical forms. Hassan Isikkut is a composer and virtuoso on the Arabian kanun, or classical zither.