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Laco Tayfa represents a new synthesis within the Turkish Roman (Gypsy) tradition. Under the leardership of clarinetist Husnu Senlendirici, Laco Tayfa brings Turkish regional folk music into dialogue with contemporary world music styles, fired by a driving improvisational style. This unification is... Learn More »

Laco Tayfa represents a new synthesis within the Turkish Roman (Gypsy) tradition. Under the leardership of clarinetist Husnu Senlendirici, Laco Tayfa brings Turkish regional folk music into dialogue with contemporary world music styles, fired by a driving improvisational style. This unification is achieved in Hicaz Dolap at such a level that listeners will find themselves caught up in a journey to the edges of a harmonious whole that is composed of incongruous melodic structures. Every instrument breathes on their own in this album; instruments that once are thought to be archrivals merge in great harmony.

Laco Tayfa who gained instant notoriety with the highly respected album 'In The BuzzBag' they recorded with the funk/acid jazz armada Brooklyn Funk Essentials are now back with their own brand of funk. Some of the tracks on their debut album: 'Bergama Gaydasi,' such as: Malatya, Izmir'in Kavaklari, Fidayda and Çiftetelli have already become anthems of the music markets on Istiklal Cad. which is thought to keep the pulse of the recording industry at large. In this album, Laco Tayfa-which is founded and led by Turkish clarinet virtuoso-combines the traditional sounds of Asia Minor and Thrace with Laco Tayfa magic and a highly sophisticated infrastructure. Contemporary musician / composer / conductor / legend Lawrence 'Butch' Morris sat in as a consultant for this unorthodox project.

Husnu Senlendirici comes from a family of musicians from the Turkish Aegean coastal town of Bergama, where local Roma musicians play for local inhabitants of different ethnic groups. Interestingly, in this area Roma musicians play versions of brass band instruments. A typical traditional wedding band consists of clarinet, trumpet, snare durm and a double-headed folk bass drum called "davul". The Şenlendirici family has consisted of musicians playing clarinet and trumpet for generations, hence the meaning of their last name, "the ones who create celebrations". Husnu’s grandfather played trumpet and clarinet, while his father, Ergun, was a highly celebrated trumpet player who moved out of the regional wedding circuit to join studio, conccert and touring musicians working out of İstanbul. After training at the state music conservatory in Istanbul, Husnu joined his father in concerts and recording with world music artists such as Okay Temiz, touring Europe and United States. Husnu also particapted in local avant-garde experiments, such as the fusing of Roma improvisatory style, Turkish melodies and Western classical and jazz harmonies. While seeking new musical challenges, Husnu remains grounded in local Roma and Turkish urban styles, performing at weddings, with urban singing stars at concerts and on recordings.

For this project with Laco Tayfa, Husne works with tradional folk material from each of the regions of Turkey, using signature Roma tunes as a basis for a new synthesis which incorporates jazz harmonies, riffs and textures with Indian tabla as well as North African and Arabic rhythmic patterns. In this repertoire, Husne also presents sounds from his native region, such as 9/8 meter Roma wedding pieces with driving melodic solos in the Aegean style, the melody of an Aegean folk dance form (zeybek) known as Harmandali with solo clarinet and davul in the manner of a neighborhood wedding and an impassioned interpretation of an Aegean urban folk song, Izmir'in Kavaklari. Within traditional treatments of these diverse regional styles, Husnu embeds new improvisations.

Laco Tayfa is:

Husnu Senlendirici - Clarinet

Ozkan Alici - Baglama

Nuri Lekesizgoz - Kanun

Ergun Hepbildik - Violin

Mehmet Akatay - Percussion

Volkan Oktem - Drums

Nurhat Sensesli - Bass guitar

Caner Tepecik - Keyboard

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