Ayangil Türk Müziği Orkestra - Bestekar III - Selim Han (2009)

A compilation of Ottoman classical music, played by the The Ayangil Music Orchestra. Great players and great vibes from a long forgotten past; a homage to Mawlawi Order member Sultan Selim III, a great music lover, composer and player. He played the tanbur and the ney and created 14 new makams. Selim III was one of the first reformers of the late-Ottoman Empire, a status he paid with his life.

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Brenna MacCrimmon & Selim Sesler - Karsilama (1998)

Turkish clarinetist Selim Sesler, specialized in Roma music, meets Canadian Balkan guru Brenna MacCrimmon for co-operation that will never grow old. A crushing collection of Roma tunes from Thrace (and more), utterly groovy and touching from the first to the last second. The best answer to gay Balkan brass trumpet hipsters. A must.

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Πετρολούκας Χαλκιάς - Μοιρολόγια Και Γυρίσματα (Petroloukas Halkias - Moirologia Kai Gyrismata) (1993)

Another album from our favourite clarinet master. This one is a bit darker and mournful. Heavy as a truckload.

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The Sharakan Early Music Ensemble - Music From Armenia Vol 2/Medieval Music (1996)

Religious music from this special country we Orthodox keep beating every Easter in Jerusalem. Mystical vibes and vocals, a true diamond from a country-crossroad (sometimes dramatic) of civilizations and styles, nonetheless unique. Here is a sample.

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Neyzen Tevfik - "Hic" in "Azab-i Mukaddes" i (2001)

The legendary master of ney in a treasure collection of recorded taksims. Descriptions can be a little hard here, so here is a sample.

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Nassima - Voie Sufie, Voix D' Amour (2005)

Algerian singer Nassima pays homeage to the Sufi culture of Andalus and Maghreb. Great record, great musicians and a great warm production. Classic melodies, a great opportunity to have them gathered.

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Erkan Oğur & Djivan Gasparyan - Fuad (2001)

A heavier-than-god collaboration by Turkish string master Erkan Oğur and Armenian duduka virtuoso Djivan Gasparyan. Dark vibes and alien vocals exchange space with painful improvisations; as clever a record as expected by two progressive minds meeting each other out of the national battlefield.

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Πετρολούκας Χαλκιάς - Δρόμοι Της Ψυχής (Petroloukas Halkias - Dromoi Tis Psyxis) (1995)

A great record by clarinet legend of Epirus, Halkias. The usual foggy (spiritually or not) aesthetic of the tall mountains, a place where melancholy is a state of mind and minor pentatonics never sounded as weeping as this. Slow, addictive music on addictive makams. A classic since the day it was made.

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Muhammad Rammal - The Ashura Epic (2007)

A live commemoration of Ashura (the lament for the martyrdom of Ali and the 10 imams, something like Easter of Shia Islam), a mourning vocal perfomance of modern Islamic hero Muhammad Rammal, ex-arab-pop musician that switched to strict religious practice, while offering his musical know-how and services to Shi'ite militancy (some call it Hezbollah).

Part One
Part Two

Hadass Pal-Yarden - Yahudice (2003)

A great collection of Sephardi Jewish music from Istanbul, Izmir, Thessaloniki and Jerusalem.When Andalus meets the Ottoman, something unique is born. A touching voice by Hadass Pal-Yarden. Definitely worth listening.

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