To Scratch Your Heart: Early Recordings from Istanbul

One of many surprisingly delightful Middle Eastern releases of the last two years was Honest Jon’s compilation of remastered Iraqi music from the 1920s, Give Me Love [reviewed in #55. This follow-up of vintage recordings from Turkey is no less intriguing, revealing and enjoyable. The first 30 years of the 20th century was a time of significant social upheaval in Istanbul: the Ottoman Empire crumbled, World War I raged and the new Republic was born. Fortunately for us, it coincided with the emergence of the gramophone: a horde of sharp-suited salesmen descended on the region, eager to sell this must-have, new domestic entertainment contraption. Many of the era’s finest musicians were captured on shellac and a resounding cheer should go up for Andy Walter, the man responsible for painstakingly restoring the original recordings. Inevitably there are times when the sound is a little crackly and indistinct but this often adds a particular poignancy to the music. It’s hard not to be moved by the Armenian Ağyazar Efendi’s singing of ‘Murat Kenarinda’, his yearning voice calling out to us across the years. There are other performances that are just brilliant by any standards: Udi Nevres Bey’s lightly rhythmic ud playing on Akşam Oldu’ would hold its own on any modern recording, as would the mellifluous voice of Fikriye Hanim, one of the few women featured on the two CDs. A beautifully designed booklet with pages of very readable background notes and evocative contemporary photos accompanies all this: leafing through the illustrations while listening to the recordings offers a rare glimpse into a bygone time.