Since my last blog post I have yet traveled more. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was living in Izmir volunteering at a hostel, clearing away rubbish and bricks in a chicken garden while playing music on the streets. A good friend of mine I met at the 114 day sufi dergah event I attended last year who plays the Ud came down from Istanbul to play music on the street with me.
While on the subject of the sema at the sufi dergah last year, in a previous blog post I advertised another event at the same location run by the Tumata organisation. I then retracted this advertising due to finding out that some women were not treated well at the event. I publically posted a facebook status after having sent two emails to the organisation to gain clarification as a close friend of mine was one of the people affected. This organisation, I believe has its heart in the right place. I discovered later there was disagreement as to what actually happened and many people in the organisation were concerned with not creating to much of a disturbance to the event. Also, their Baba passed away during the sema to make things more complicated. With some correspondence with some of the members and volunteers about the situation, Tumata posted the following update on their website regarding the cancellation of the event at this venue in Termal Yalova as the issue is venue specific:
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"Important: About the sema
In the presence of meaningful reasons, Tümata regrets to cancel the Sema in Gökςedere/Termal, from 05.07.-14.07.2018.
We came to the conclusion that the memorial day of Oruς Güvenς should be celebrated in the way, that everyone chooses the most appropriate form."
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(see https://tumata.com/en//)
I am still inpired by this practice and this organisation and I am grateful for a humane response to my reaction to the situation. This is the only organisation that allows women to play music and to whirl, without a covering their heads. Pardon, to those who are unaware, a sema is a period of time where whirling (people spinning as a form of meditation) and music is done and played non-stop, day and night for this period. I gained a lot from attending the 114 day sema last year and I hope to attend more in the future.
Ok, so that's out the way. I played music on the street in Izmir (Karshiyaka the favorite spot) with my Ud playing friend and also started developing some material with him that we can work together long term. We have tentative plans of doing recording together early next year to do a street season next summer together in Europe and then onto Turkey and then possibly onto other middle-eastern countries.
This is an Ud by the way, there are many different types from different countries but just to give you the general idea.
Presently we are looking for a great Bendir player (frame drum) that can also sing, to add that last piece to the band dynamic. Of course, you'll have to be a nomad or at least willing to live like one for a few months.
After some umming and aahing we decided to visit the rainbow gathering in Turkey (for me my second visit) and travel together for a bit. I got to see my beautiful macedonian friends from the macedonian rainbow gathering I attended last year. With a large toothache in the first two days back in the mountains, I was fasting and sleeping for a while. But what a better place to do that than in the mountains near Alanya. I'm so glad I don't have a fancy phone to distract me from my life and living it but if I did, you'd get some pictures. For now, just visualise amazing mountains, next to an amazing river and a bunch of people living together in the middle of nowhere.
We decided not to spend long there so we continued on to Istanbul. I have a drawing (magnetism, not a sketch, lol) to Istanbul and I feel this is more where I need to be at the moment.
Since being here, I've contacted my good friend from Kenya who is a student here who I met through his german girlfriend when she saw me playing music on the street last year near a cafe in Shishane. This also seems to be my favorite place to play now as well.
My friend and I tried playing in Kadekoy a couple of times but were stopped by the Zabita (sounds like an evil villain but is really just council police) every time we started up with one or two songs. One of them even stopped to listen to the music and waited for the song to finish. He gave his condolences for asking us to stop but this is the law now and he has to stop us if we play without a permit. This seems to be the flavour of Kadekoy now, so we just skip Kadekoy. It used to be much different I'm told. Damn hipsters.
So we play on Isteklal mainly, the main strip in Istanbul.
I've never made a lot on the street in Turkey. But all my friends here are the most hospitable so it doesn't seem to matter. One thing I love about playing in Isteklal is that despite the amp restriction there is a great acceptance for street music. We can 'camp' for a couple of hours in one spot and really let rip. Lots of passing crowds, stopping for a while and photos and all that and not a lot of money but feeling well appreciated. Food and basics from the right places is very cheap in Turkey so just a little bit to keep going is all that's needed and some great experiences are had in exchange.
Expect a treat soon. A good friend of mine from Iran who teaches sufi dance through her own school in Paris will do whirling for my music on Isteklal in Istanbul sometime within the next couple of weeks. There is sure to be some easy to find internet noise for that.
Presenting the amazing Rana Gorgani:
https://www.facebook.com/RanaGorganiOfficial/videos/410144039461606/?hc_ref=ARTJrmW4HrcUcLdV9xWvY-JD--WPh8OCYTLMlIMg3PzAz4Gu_hUssJOQUCfxpxzzOIM
I was attending this event in the video with her in Strasbourg, France in February this year.
I stay in Istanbul until the 15th, which is when my flight is booked back to Berlin. There I will quickly get some money together to continue my living. I love street culture in Berlin.
Anyways till next time and all the best,
Monty
ps. Remember when looking for me online, that my name is Monty Cash Music and not Monty Cash (which is a porn star in America). This is a great pub joke in Ireland but not everyone gets it. Especially sensitive people and parents with kids. In love.
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