'Turkish Hipster' by Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & Whatsnext?
The military brass bands of Ottoman Turkey inspired the military marching bands of Europe, whose American iterations became one of the roots of jazz. Mehmet Ali Sanlikol brings those influences full circle on Turkish Hipster, building his jazz orchestrations around deeply felt Anatolian roots. And that’s only one avenue into this fascinating album, which also weaves together Afro-Caribbean jazz with Return to Forever fusion while detouring into hip-hop and rock.
Turkish born but living in Boston and working with American musicians, Sanlikol avoids every world music cliché on Turkish Hipster, delving into microtones and rhythmic-harmonic dynamics. He enrolled a large cast of players whose solos are fully integrated into the panorama. Heard are four alto saxophonists, three tenor saxophonists, two baritone saxophonist, five trumpeters, four trombonists … and the roster continues. Linking many passages is the wail of Anat Cohen’s clarinet, an instrument common to Turkish, Greek, Armenian and klezmer music. Sanlikol plays synthesizers and “Turkish instruments,” in many cases part of the shared heritage of all of Anatolia’s cultures.
One shorthand way to think of Turkish Hipster is to summon the jazz orchestral composers of earlier generations—Woody Herman in the Near East? But much of the album elides that broad comparison. “The Boston Beat” is jazz-accented hip-hop featuring rapper Raydar Ellis. And “Estarabim” is an orchestrated rendition of a classic track from ‘70s Turkey, a time when the country’s rock musicians drew from Near Eastern roots to conjure a unique spin on psychedelia.
