Anatolia once existed as the centre of a buoyant Mediterranean

CD-ATR 5716 ÇiĞdem Aslan A Thousand Cranes

Anatolia once existed as the centre of a buoyant Mediterranean culture where diverse communities peacefully lived side by side. Their music was free from ethnical and religious identities and drew on the heritage of both their immediate and distant neighbours. In the cities of Asia Minor, especially Constantinople, Smyrna, Bursa and Ayvalık, many ethnic and religious groups had developed an original musical tradition of remarkable beauty. For centuries in these cosmopolitan centres, the interaction between ethnicities Greek, Turkish, Armenian, Jewish, Slavic, Arabic, Persian, Kurdish and many others produced a musical culture that could be described as the perfect example of intercultural music production. In this context, it is difficult to determine what is of Turkish or Greek origin, and to distinguish the innovation from what is borrowed. The makam can thus be considered as the basis of a music that constantly reinvents itself. A whole generation of performers now seems to turn to these forgotten roots, inspired by their nostalgia and beauty. In a time of overall amnesia when oral traditions are dying from an absence of echo and learning channels, artists are devoting themselves to gather the components of this memory. In this program, specifically inspired by Asia Minor and Anatolia, Çiğdem Aslan and her musicians, although from different backgrounds, refer to that same tradition while reinterpreting it at the same time. By setting historical, geographical and cultural contexts, and by highlighting the influence of music on their environment, these musicians show us how unique their musical heritage is and how it fits into the history and exile of these communities. Sami Sadak Babel Med Music & Aix-Marseille University Çiğdem Aslan s second album A Thousand Cranes takes its name after turna (crane), a migratory bird with strong symbolism in many cultures and mythologies. Mostly portrayed as messengers in songs, poems and stories, the cranes are the bearers of teachings, culture and tradition; their longevity standing as a symbol of family, good fortune and eternal youth; their dance a celebration of love and joy. But the cranes will also stand as partners to those missing their homelands and loved ones in the sadness of their exile. Some believe that cranes are carriers of the souls inhabiting our human bodies. Cranes are lovers of freedom, represent prosperity and beauty. But above all, they stand as a symbol of peace Like cranes, music travels, taking sounds and stories to different lands; it evolves, changes and yet, remains the same. A Thousand Cranes is an effort to tell some of these stories.

Band Çiğdem Aslan vocals Nikolaos Baimpas kanun, santouri, mandolins, vocals Michalis Kouloumis violin, vocals Vasilis Sarikis percussion Colin Somervell double bass Guest Musicians Matoula Zamani vocals (6) Vasilis Lemonias cello (1, 6, 8, 11, 12) Phillipos Retsios piano (1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13) Tahir Palalı, Sevtap Işık vocals (8) Vasilis Korakakis bouzouki, guitar, baglama, vocals (2, 9, 12, 13) Aslan possesses the smokiness that marks a true Rembetiko singer: You can get lost in the sound of her voice Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR Aslan s voice is rich, earthy and penetrating, as sweet as a watermelon and as strong as a demitasse of coffee at mid afternoon. George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly

Kardiokleftra Καρδιοκλέφτρα Μ άναψες καημούς μέσ στην καρδιά και βάσανα και πίκρες κι αναστεναγμούς έχασα το λογικό μου κι άλλο δε μου μένει από θλίψες κι οδυρμούς Δώσ μου ελπίδα φως μου με μία λέξη σου γλυκιά για να σωθώ να σβήσουν οι καημοί που χω για σένα στην καρδούλα μου φως μου για σένα μη χαθώ Αχ, δώσ μου τα φιλιά που μου κλεψες σκληρά αχ, όταν έγερνες στην αγκαλιά μου μια φορά Heart thief You lit longing in my heart And cause suffering and bitterness and sorrow I lost my senses and I only left with grievance and wail Give me hope, my sunshine, One sweet word of yours will save me My sorrows will faint Within my heart And I won t get lost for you Ah, give me the kisses That you stole back harshly Ah, when you used to lean in between my arms Once upon a time Composition: Ioannis Dragatsis (Ogdontakis)

I Mortissa tis Kokkinias Μόρτισσα της Κοκκινιάς Mortissa from Kokkinia Είμαι μια μόρτισσα τσαχπίνα απ την Κοκκινιά που ξετρελαίνω την Αθήνα και τον Πειραιά Κι όποιος με μένα θα τα μπλέξει αχ ξετρελαίνεται Με τις ματιές μου τον τουμπάρω εγώ και μουρλαίνεται Αχ αχ έτσι την περνάω φίνα, μέσα στην Αθήνα Γλέντι τρελό μεθύσι με τους μάγκες στα Γερά Και όλοι με ζηλεύουν μεσ τη Κοκκινιά Γιατί μαι φίνο εγώ κορίτσι με τα ούλα μου Και μου φωνάζουν σαν με βλέπουν, αχ μανούλα μου σπάγω κεφάκι κάθε βράδυ αχ μ όλη τη μαγκιά Κι έτσι γουστάρω και γλεντάω εγώ στο ψευτοντουνιά I am a cute Mortissa from Kokkinia I drive everyone in Athens and Pireas crazy And whoever is with me ends up crazy When I throw my looks on him I convince him And he looses it Ah, Ah, like this I have a great time in Athens I party, crazy drinking with the lads in Gera And everybody in Kokkinia is jealous of me I am a fine girl When people see me they call me darling I enjoy myself every night with all the lads And like that I have fun in this vain world Composition & Lyrics: Kostas Karipis

Ithela na rtho to vradi Ήθελα να ρθω το βράδυ I wanted to come by tonight Ήθελα να ρθω το βράδυ άιντε μ έπιασε ψιλή βροχή το Θεό παρακαλούσα άιντε για να σ εύρω μοναχή Kuzum bana bana da gel gel gel Yavrum yavaş yavaş da gel ο ήλιος και το φεγγάρι άιντε και το άστρο της αυγής Σ αγαπώ Θεός το ξεύρει άιντε δεν το ξεύρει άλλος κανείς ο ήλιος και το φεγγάρι άιντε και το άστρο της αυγής Kuzum bana bana da gel gel gel Yavrum yavaş yavaş da gel ο ήλιος και το φεγγάρι άιντε και το άστρο της αυγής I wanted to come and see you last night But it started raining I was praying to God That you would be alone Come to me my lamb, come slowly I was praying to God That you would be alone Only God knows how much I love you and no one else The sun, the moon and the star of the dawn Gypsy instrumental from Thrace (linked to track 3) Traditionals

Çile Bülbülüm Bülbülüm gel de dile Söyle benimle bile Sesini duyur ele Çile bülbülüm çile Issız yuvanda tektin Çekilmez çile çektin Kim derdi gülecektin Çile bülbülüm çile, çile bülbülüm çile, çile bülbülüm Sing my nightingale Sing my nightingale Sing with me Let the rose hear your voice Sing my nightingale, sing Lonely at your desolated home You suffered the unbearable Who d say you d laugh Sing my nightingale, sing Composition: Sadettin Kaynak Lyrics: Vecdi Bingol

Evlerinin Önü Handir Evlerinin önü handır Yanar da yüreğim külhandır Görmeyeli çok zamandır Ya ben de o güzele yalvarayım mı Gelmezse kareleri bağlayayım mı Haydindi hopla da gel Şalvarın topla da gel Cebini yokla da gel Haydindi allı güzel Lebleri ballı güzel Edası tatlı güzel Evlerinin önü mersin Mevlam da seni bana versin Akşama kalmasın gelsin Evlerinin önü nane Ben kul oldum yane yane Ne akilem ne divane In front of her house is an inn In front of her house is an inn My heart is a furnace, burning Haven t seen her, ages it s been Shall I then beg her to come And if not, wear all black Come on then, come jumping Your shalwar lifted up And your pockets checked Come on you red-cheeked Honey-lipped Sweet mannered beauty In front of her house is a myrtle tree May God give you to me May she come, not late but early In front of her house is a mint lawn I m burnt up, heavy and slow Neither wise am I nor crazy Traditional

Tourna Τούρνα Crane Hey ağalar böyle m olur Hali yardan ayrılanın İner ummana dökülür Seli yardan ayrılanın Tell me aghas*, is this how The parted from beloved are Their stream flown into the sea Ah heartbroken crane Gökten turnalar çekilir İner yerlere dökülür Onbeş yaşında bükülür Beli yardan ayrılanın Cranes forsake the sky They fall to the ground At the age of fifteen Arches the parted s back Με διαβατάρικα πουλιά έρωτες να μην πιάνεις, τούρνα τούρνα τούρνα έρωτες να μην πιάνεις γιατί ναι διαβατάρικα και γρήγορα τα χάνεις, τούρνα τούρνα τούρνα και γρήγορα τα χάνεις Karacaoğlan geçmez dilek Ataş aldı yandı yürek Sağ yanında hazır gerek Salı yardan ayrılanın Traditional Don t fall in love with Migrating birds Tourna, don t fall in love Because they migrate And soon you will lose them Tourna, soon you will lose them Karacaoğlan**, one never waives their wish Heart s caught fire, ash On hand must the parted Have their coffin ready * A title of honour used in Turkey usually implying respect for age and status. The poet addresses a group of men here. ** Karacaoğlan is the writer s pseudonym. It was a tradition to include one s pseudonym on the last verse of a poem. Karacaoğlan was a 17th century folk poet.

Destmala Min Destmala min anda bû Li ber derî we keti bû Keçê dîne destmala min tu bîbine Ev dile min qul birîne Kurko dîno çi ez xwarim Destmala te min ne dîye Kî ki diye hilanîye, destmala te kurko dîno Ev dile te hez kiriye My handkerchief I lost my handkerchief Dropped it in front of your house Crazy girl, you find my hanky My heart is all but wounds You crazy boy, leave me alone Haven t seen your hanky Whoever found it, hid it Your heart is in love Traditional

Zaira Ζαΐρα Ζαΐρα θα ρθω να σε κλέψω κάποια βραδιά απ την αγκαλιά του μαχαραγιά σβήνω απ τον πόθο μ άλλον σαν σε νιώθω αχ Ζαΐρα μου γλυκιά Γιαλελέλι γιαλελελελι γιαλελέλι ωωω σβήνω απ τον πόθο μ άλλον σαν σε νιώθω αχ Ζαΐρα μου γλυκιά Ζαΐρα λάμπεις σαν αστέρι στην αραπιά μ άναψες φωτιά δεν αντέχω πια κάστρα θα γκρεμίσω μα δε θα σ αφήσω σκλάβα του μαχαραγιά Γιαλελέλι γιαλελελελι γιαλελέλι ωωω κάστρα θα γκρεμίσω μα δε θα σ αφήσω σκλάβα του μαχαραγιά Zaira Zaira I will come to steal you one night From the arms of maharajah I m fading out with lust When I feel you with someone else Ah my sweet Zaira Yaleleli yaleleleli yaleleli ooh I m fading out with lust When I feel you with someone else Ah my sweet Zaira Zaira you re shining like a star in Egypt You set me on fire, I can t stand it anymore I will destroy castles but I won t leave you Slave of maharajah Yaleleli yaleleleli yaleleli ooh I will destroy castles but I won t leave you A slave of maharajah Composition: Vasilis Tsitsanis, Lyrics: Vasilis Tsitsanis, Kostas Virvos Vasilis Tsitsanis published by Seed Point music publishing

Gennithika gia na Pono Γεννήθηκα για να πονώ Γεννήθηκα για να πονώ και για να τυραννιέμαι την ώρα που σε γνώρισα βαριά την καταριέμαι Με πλήγωσες και δεν ξεχνώ που τόσο έχω κλάψει να γίνει η κατάρα μου φωτιά και να σε κάψει Κι αν τώρα κάνω μια ζωή που πάντα τη μισούσα για όλα εσύ ευθύνεσαι που τόσο αγαπούσα Θα το φωνάξω σαν τρελή ο κόσμος να το μάθει τα βάσανα που τράβηξα για σένα τα χω πάθει Βorn to suffer I was born to suffer And to be tyrannised Ι damn heavily The day that I met you And if now I am living a life That I always hated It s all your fault Because I loved you very much You hurt me and I can t forget How much I have cried May my curse Be fire and burn you I will scream like crazy So that the world knows That the anguish I suffered Was all your fault Composition: Vasilis Tsitsanis, Lyrics: Vasilis Tsitsanis, Kostas Virvos Vasilis Tsitsanis published by Seed Point music publishing

I Lili i Skandaliara Η Λιλή η σκανδαλιάρα Δε με μέλλει εμένα αν είσαι αλάνις απ τον Κοπανά και τον ντούρο βρε μάγκα μη μου κάνεις, και με φοβερνάς Γιατί είμαι εγώ η αλανιάρα η Λιλή η πρώτη σκανταλιάρα που δε δίνω γρόσι για τους μάγκες και δεν τρώγω τρίχες ματσαράγκες Βρε αλάνι να φύγεις από μένα, κοίταξε κι αλλού μην πλερώσεις βρε μόρτη τα σπασμένα, κι είμαι μπελαλού Και δε φοβούμαι τα μαχαίρια, τα νταήδικά σου τα μπεγλέρια, και νταμίρα όσο κι αν φουμάρεις βρε αλάνι δε θα με τουμπάρεις Μη σε μέλλει αν είμαι απ τον Περαία, ή απ την Κοκκινιά κι αν μεθάω και κάνω εγώ παρέα, με όλο τον ντουνιά Εγώ είμαι εκείνη η αλανιάρα η Λιλή η πρώτη σκανταλιάρα που δε δίνω γρόσι για του μάγκες και δεν τρώγω τρίχες ματσαράγκες Cheeky Lili I don t care if you are a vagrant from Kopanas Don t play the hard one to me, and threaten me Because I m a flirty one Lili the cheeky one I don t give a damn for the lads And I don t like the cheats Go away from me, you urchin, Look for someone else Don t deal with the consequences, I m trouble I m not afraid of the knives Or your worry beads And as much hashish as you puff You won t coax me Don t worry if I m from Piraeus or from Kokkinia And if I get drunk and hang out with the whole world I m that flirty one Lili the cheeky one I don t give a damn for the lads And I don t like the cheats Composition & Lyrics: Panagiotis Toundas

Lingo Lingo Şişeler (11 part 1) Giydiğim atlas İğneler batmaz Yar bensiz yatmaz hacı cavcav Oh canıma değsin Şişeler Lingo lingo şişeler Arakı mı içtin sen bensiz Çamura mı düştün dümensiz yar yar yar yar yar yar aman Giydiğim beyaz Geceler ayaz Bu da bir mıraz havı cavcav Oh canıma değsin Clinking bottles I ve dressed in satin That no needle can pierce My beloved can t sleep without me Serves you right Bottles, lingo lingo bottles* Drank raki without me? Fell in the mud, rudderless? My love, aman** I ve dressed in white The nights are frosty This is another wish (haci cav cav) Serves you right * onomatopoeic sound of clinking bottles ** has various meanings: please, oh God, mercy, my goodness, etc. Traditional

Ana Mori Trakya KarŞılaması (11 part 2) Ana mori* ana Diksene donumi Söyleyeyim sana da Çiftetelli** oyuni Ana mori ana Pişirsene gözleme Ben kocaya kaçcam da Sakın beni özleme Oh mother Mother, oh mother Sew my nicker up I ll sing you a Ciftetelli** dance Mother, oh mother Bake me some pastry I ll run away with a guy Don t you ever miss me * Mori is an expression used in the Balkans to call out to a female person. It also means girl, lady. ** Çiftetelli (τσιφτετέλι in Greek) is a form of rhythm and dance of Anatolia and the Balkans, with a rhythmic pattern of 4/4. Traditional

Feraye dir kızın adı (12 part 1) Feraye dir kızın adı Feraye Yar yandım aman esmer yarim de Aman da aman Feraye Türkmen de kızı katarlamış mayayı Yar yandım aman esmer yarim de Aman da aman mayayı Ninni ninna ninni ninna Aman da aman Feraye Feraye Feraye is her name, Ah my brunette love, I m burnt Aman Feraye The Turkmen girl has lined up the yeast Ah my brunette love, I m burnt Aman Feraye Traditional

Apopse Sto Diko Sou Mahala (12 part 2) Απόψε τα `πια για καλά μες στον δικό σου μαχαλά να βρω κουράγιο να σου πω πως μου `χεις πάρει το μυαλό Έλα αγάπη μου χρυσή έλα να πιούμε ένα κρασί κι ύστερα πάμε στη μαμά να βρει κουμπάρο και παπά Θε να σου χτίσω μια φωλιά να σε ζηλεύει η γειτονιά, θα `σαι το γλέντι μου εσύ χορός τραγούδι και κρασί Tonight at your neighbourhood Tonight I got pretty drunk, In your neighbourhood, To find the courage to tell you That you have taken my mind Come my darling To drink a glass of wine And let s go to your mother To find a best man and a priest Do you want me to build you a home So that all the neighbourhood envies you You will be my feast Dance, song and wine Composition: Spyros Peristeris Lyrics: Minoas Matsas

To Minore tis Avgis Το μινόρε της αυγής Ξύπνα, μικρό μου, κι άκουσε κάποιο μινόρε της αυγής, για σένανε είναι γραμμένο από το κλάμα κάποιας ψυχής Το παραθύρι σου άνοιξε ρίξε μου μια γλυκιά ματιά Κι ας σβήσω πια τότε, μικρό μου, μπροστά στο σπίτι σου σε μια γωνιά Minor song of dawn Wake up my little one and listen To this minor song of the dawn It is written for you only By some poor crying soul s tearful sad croon Open your window, Throw a sweet glance at me, And let me then fade out, my little one, At a corner, in front of your home Composition: Spiros Peristeris Lyrics: Minoas Matsas Intro Composition: Nikolaos Baimpas

I d like to express my gratitude to: The musical director and band leader Nikolaos Baimpas for his friendship and immense amount of work preparing and recording the album; to the band members Michalis Kouloumis, Vasilis Sarikis and Colin Somervell for their exceptional performance and recording the whole album live in three days; to the wonderful Matoula Zamani and Vasilis Korakakis for adding their fabulous voices to mine: to our remarkable guest musicians Phillipos Retsios, Vasilis Lemonias and Sevtap Işık for their great work; to Giannis Baxevanis and AntArt Studio for recording and mixing it beautifully; to Tahir Palalı for another amazing album cover and the additional vocal recordings; to Helmut Neumann and the whole Asphalt Tango crew, Melek Erdal, Sami Sadak, Sara Bouskela, Cemile Özkan, Savvia Kozakou, Anastasis Pissourios, Herbert Grammatikopoulos, Gözde Böcü, Kenan Ozcan, Bill A. Betote, Garth Cartwright, Sevil Kotan and the Aslan family for their contributions to the album; to all of my listeners for their love and support since the beginning of the crane s journey. With the hope and wish that peace arrives on our planet soon on the wings of cranes... Çiğdem

recorded and mixed by Giannis Baxevanis at AntArt Studio, Athens all tracks recorded live except vocals for tracks 1,2,3,4,8,9,12,13 recorded by Tahir Palalı, London. mastered by Tom Meyer at Master & Servant, Hamburg, 2016 produced by Çiğdem Aslan & Nikolaos Baimpas management: Tourna Productions info@cigdemaslan.com, www.cigdemaslan.com booking contact: phone: +49 (0)30 2858528 agency@asphalt-tango.de www.asphalt-tango.de photos by Herbert Grammatikopoulos, Gözde Böcü, Phillipos Retsios, Kenan Özcan, Bill A. Bé totè, Thomas Renz, Marili Zarkou cover photo by Tahir Palalı www.tpvfx.co.uk artwork by Claudia Bachmann translations and edits by Çiğdem Aslan, Nikolaos Baimpas and Sara Bouskela executive production by Helmut Neumann & Henry Ernst made in Germany & 2016 Asphalt Tango Records GmbH Berlin Germany records@asphalt-tango.de www.asphalt-tango.de More outstanding music on www.asphalt-tango.de and in all fine record stores.

From the 1920 s Smyrna and Istanbul of Çiğdem s debut album Mortissa, A Thousand Cranes expands to Athens, the Balkans and South East Anatolia. A band of world class musicians, led once again by the musical director Nikolaos Baimpas, accompanies her journey with a modern and crisp sound, embellishing the deep rooted melodies with modern jazzy influences and inspired improvisations. As a continuation of the journey, this second album was recorded in one of Athens historical studios AntArt, where the likes of Theodorakis and Hadjidakis recorded their most famous compositions. 1. Kardiokleftra (Heart thief) 3:07 2. I Mortissa tis Kokkinias (Mortissa from Kokkinia) 2:46 3. Ithela na rtho to Vradi (I wanted to come by tonight) 5:10 4. Çile Bülbülüm (Sing my nightingale) 2:02 5. Evlerinin Önü Handır (In front of her house is an inn) 2:34 6. Tourna (Crane) 4:33 7. Destmala Min (My handkerchief) 2:53 8. Zaira (Zaira) 3:04 9. Gennithika gia na Pono (Born to suffer) 3:51 10. I Lili i Skandaliara (Cheeky Lili) 3:49 11. Lingo Lingo Şişeler Ana Mori (Clinking bottles Oh mother) 5:07 12. Feraye Apopse Sto Diko Sou Mahala (Feraye Tonight at your neighbourhood) 5:53 13. To Minore tis Aygis (Minor song of dawn) 5:48 & Asphalt Tango Records GmbH 2016 Total playing time: 52:02 www.asphalt-tango.de 119102 CD-ATR 5116