To coincide with his tour of Australia, Turkish born US based master musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek’ 2005 Tree of Patience is finally being distributed in this country. It’s an album which continues his desire to meld together various influences from around the world. He is known for his incredible middle Eastern melodies, where he plays the ney (flute), Baglama, zurna (horn) or darbuka (percussion) and sings in a rich mournful tone, yet strangely enough many of his tunes also possess flamenco influences, something that he has been able to effectively meld to his Turkish roots over the course of his career. This time however there are banjos which draw on Americana folk one moment, yet later become driving Andalusian flamenco the next, also violins that seem to considerably lessen the gulf between Irish and Middle Eastern Music, there’ even a didgeridoo hidden in one of the pieces offering bottom end drone, making one wonder whether in fact the didgeridoo is a staple of Middle Eastern Music that we’d never noticed. The point is that Tekbilek’ work transcends cultural boundaries, evident here, yet also in concert where he espouses his Sufi beliefs suggesting that a multi cultural unity, not diversity is the one way forward. His demonstration of the fact that the meting pot can work is this music, which somehow despite the growing external influences still sounds very much concert hall Turkey. Tekbilek’ music has a beauty and elegance that few can match, it’s gorgeously recorded, with numerous collaborators, and it demonstrates once again not only the amazing talent of the man but also his heart.
Bob Baker Fish
