“A Vicious Murder” by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol & Whatsnext? featuring Dave Liebman 

click here to pre-order on Bandcamp

“Othello in the Seraglio” – trailer

Stream the film on Amazon Prime

EPK – “Resolution” by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol & Whatsnext? featuring Anat Cohen, Dave Liebman, Tiger Okoshi and Antonio Sanchez 

Official release date September 23, 2016

Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol & Whatsnext? at LPR

Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol & Whatsnext at (Le) Poisson Rouge, NYC, October 3, 2014
With selected excerpts from “Better stay home”, “A Jazzed up Devr-i Revan”, “Whirl Around”, “A Dream in Nihavend” and “Gone crazy: a noir fantasy” featuring,
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, piano, keyboards, continuum, voice, zurna
Jerry Sabatini, trumpet, flugel horn
Jeff Claassen, trumpet, flugel horn
Mark Zaleski, alto sax, clarinet
Aaron Henry, tenor sax
Chris Gagne, trombone
Jared Sims, baritone sax, bass clarinet
Utar Artun, piano
Phil Sargent, guitar
Fernando Huergo, electric bass
Bertram Lehmann, drums
and
George Lernis, percussion

All compositions by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, art work by Cem Eskinazi, photography by Erin X. Smithers, calligraphy from Ali Ufki’s Mecmua-i Saz-ı Söz over water marbling by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, Devr-i Revan cycle drawing from Dimitri Kantemir’s manuscript, 8 mm. footage by Hüseyin Parkan Sanlıkol featuring himself, Saadet and Fethiye Sanlıkol, and Handan Karageyik, and additional footage from The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) and Gun Crazy (1950).

 

A Song for those in Love with God 

Türki beray-ı aşıkan-ı Hüda / A Song for those in love with God

text: Şahin (17th c.) music: anonymous
Transcribed by Ali Ufuki
Edited by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol

Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, voice, üç telli
Robert Labaree, çeng, voice

We came across this tune in Ali Ufuki’s 17th century collection which bears the character of a Bektashi Sufi devotional song with some of the most amazing words (the text and its translation can be found in the YouTube video’s “more info” section).

 

DÜNYA’s Documentary Film: WHAT A WORLD

with Robert Labaree
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol
Cem Mutlu
Brenna MacCrimmon
Phaedon Sinis
and Mal Barsamian
including special appearances from Cemal Kafadar

What A World offers a captivating look at DÜNYA which has explored a wide range of music from around the world since its founding in 2004. The film shows the ensemble performing an amazing concert of music from 20th century Istanbul while interviews with the band members reveal their diverse backgrounds as well as insights about the surprising cultural and musical links between Boston and Turkey.

 

Şaşar Veysel Tangosu (Turkish Tango)

words: Aşık Veysel, music: Robert Labaree, arranged by Mahmet Ali Sanlıkol
Recorded on Sunday, March 3, 2013 at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall

Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol voice, ud
Phaedon Sinis, yaylı tanbur (tarhu)
Mal Barsamian, guitar
Brenna MacCrimmon, voice, percussion
Cem Mutlu percussion

 

A Story of the City: Constantinople, Istanbul

Directed by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol

featuring,
Schola Cantorum, Ensemble Trinitas, The New England Drum and Winds Mehterhane, DÜNYA İnce Saz Ensemble, DÜNYA Anadolu Folk Ensemble, DÜNYA Fasıl Ensemble and DÜNYA Arabesk Ensemble

The many layers of communal memory in this program proceed through Greek Orthodox music, secular Greek music, Crusader songs, music of the Ottoman ceremonial and military ensembles, Ottoman court music, Sufi ceremonial music, Turkish folk music, Sephardic Jewish songs, urban music of the Armenians and Turks, and finally contemporary urban popular music full of longing and protest. On its own, each piece may communicate celebration, love, devotion or military might, but taken together, the mood of melancholy is unmistakable, which by now has been permanently woven into the fabric of this thriving cosmopolitan city.

 

WISDOM AND TURKISH HUMOR: A Conversation with the Creators

Behind the Scenes Featurette from DÜNYA’s WISDOM AND TURKISH HUMOR: Karagöz, Nasreddin Hoca, Keloğlan DVD. The musical journey of this program moves from the traditional to the original, making its way, at the same time, from city to town to village.

 

Dünya Size Güller Bize/For You The World, For Us The Roses

DÜNYA ensemble featuring Brenna MacCrimmon

Robert Labaree, çeng, voice
Brenna MacCrimmon, voice
Cem Mutlu, voice
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, saz, voice

 

DÜNYA ensemble at the Jewish Museum in Istanbul featuring Maftirim

Hadesh Kekedem
Text and possibly music by Haim Aboab (19th c.) Makam: Hicaz, Usul: Yürük Semai

 

Dillirga / Tillyrkotissa

MUSIC OF CYPRUS
DÜNYA ensemble, Live at Salamis Theatre, Famagusta, Cyprus