Music for Turkish Theater 1970 (Vinyl LP)
If you think you've heard it all from jazz trumpet legend Don Cherry, think again. This newly unearthed recording was made during Cherry's 1969 visit to Turkey, documenting a collaboration with James Baldwin and Turkish percussionist Okay Temiz to create a soundtrack to Baldwin's upcoming play about gay relationships in a Turkish prison. While the play was swiftly banned by the Turkish government, the music has endured, and - thanks to being newly restored and remastered from the original tapes - it's a must-hear. - Flying Out
NEVER-BEFORE-RELEASED RECORDING of the Sensational and Banned Turkish Theater Play by James Baldwin and Engin Cezzar, Istanbul 1970 Licensed by Gökhan Akçura, author of Engin Cezzar's autobiography, who was personally entrusted with the original master tape by Engin Cezzar.
Gatefold Vinyl LP with OBI and Liner Notes
"One of the most shocking and daring plays staged in Turkish theaters was banned by the Istanbul Governorship on February 7, 1970. The ban on the play, which was watched by 30,000 people in 60 days, did not last long." - Turkish Press, 1970
Meticulously restored from the original master tape, remastered and cut by Shawn Joseph at Optimum Mastering, Bristol, UK.
Includes liner notes by Zeynep Oral (James Baldwin's assistant and journalist), Gökhan Akçura, Okay Temiz, and record producer Erinç Güzel (Caz Plak İstanbul).
In 1970, Turkish theater owner Engin Cezzar produced James Baldwin's groundbreaking play about gay relationships in a 1970s Istanbul prison setting. In 1969, jazz musician Don Cherry, visiting Istanbul with Okay Temiz to record an album, reunited with Baldwin and contributed music to the production. The recording session followed extensive discussions and featured performances by Cherry and Temiz, heightening the play's tension.
An unearthed free jazz masterpiece from 1970s Istanbul.
Tracklist
- Calculating Empires
- Okay’s 5/8
- Fortune and Men’s Eyes
- 1969 - Take 1
- 1969
- Near East / Far East
- Naive - Take 1
- Naive
- İstanbul