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MUAMMER
KETENCOGLOU
OF
THE “COMPANIA KETENCOGLOU” CV
"Shared Influences in Turkish Music and
Rebetika"
[Paper presented in English, with musical illustrations]
SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IN ISTANBUL
For the lover of Greek popular music as it was sung at the
urban centers of Hellenism until the mid-20th century (what we now call
“rebetiko”), Istanbul is a place of pilgrimage. The former capital and center
of Hellenic culture was one of the principal centers of the older form of the
so-called Smyrnaic song (named after its other, more recent, home). This can be
verified simply by recalling the well-known Constantinopolitan and Tataulian
“hasapika” and “hasaposervika” or the so-called Costantinopolitan “syrto.”
All this, of course, is old news for aficionados of
rebetiko. The pleasant surprise waiting for them in Istanbul is a fully
functional, wonderful local rebetiko ensemble whose members are permanent, not
occasional, residents of the city. Muammer Ketencoglu, a Turk from Izmir
(Smyrna) is the group’s leader and its soul. He is a truly gifted musician, an
exceptional virtuoso of the accordion whose wealth of knowledge of rebetiko
surprises the experts. His instrumental and vocal performances stay true to the
authentic style of the genre, even though he neither reads nor speaks Greek.
Evidence of Muammer’s knowledge of and love for rebetiko is his thoughtful
participation in the production of two CDs of rebetika songs - chiefly of the
Smyrnaic period - remastered from old 78 r.p.m. recordings. His leadership role in various musical ventures
reveals that the level and breadth of his musical knowledge are not limited to
rebetiko but also cover wide areas of Balkan music, and, naturally, Turkish
music.
Orhan Osman, a Muslim from Komotini, is the group’s bouzouki player. An
outstanding interpreter in the style of Manolis Hiotis, he also sings - and
speaks - well in Greek. His youth and impressive technique promise that his
continuing ease with the traditional style will render him equal to the better
players in Greece. The two basic instruments are accompanied by the very able
percussionist Rahmi Göçmen, a native of Istanbul. Ivi Dermanci, a
Constantinopolitan Greek born and bred, is the group’s female vocalist. In her
plain and very melodic voice she interprets the songs in the group’s repertory
accurately and authentically, with none of the theatrics and pseudo-impressions
that might diminish their effectiveness. Lastly, Stelios Berberis, from
Imvros (Gökçeada), the sweet-voiced cantor of the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate
at the Phanar, provides the vocal ability necessary for the group’s rendition
of the older songs in their repertory.
“Compania Ketencoglu” is very well known in Istanbul,
despite the fact that, in principle, they eschew night clubs, appearing instead
at “boites” as well as at festivals and similar venues. They have appeared at
several locales in Turkey and abroad, and several times at festivals and
recitals in Greece. Although their repertory consists almost exclusively of
rebetiko, from Smyrnaica to Tstitsanis and Kazantzidis, and similar Turkish
songs, it occasionally extends to songs by Theodorakis.
In other words, it could be said that a small and diverse
musical group is trying to express the wealth of the popular musical expression
of the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural capital of the Ottoman Empire at its
death-bed. Although their place, and the locus of their contribution is, and
must stay, in Istanbul, one hopes we will have more frequent opportunities to
enjoy and applaud them here in Greece. [Miltiadis Poliviou]
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