Dirty Linen Magazine, Dec. 98/Jan. 99 "....This CD ... focuses on Turkish, Kurdish, Azeri, and Anatolian material. Turku also use all traditional instruments including several types of Saz, Violin, Oud, Tar 'another long-necked lute', and various types of percussion 'Davul, dumbek, djembe, riq, etc.'. Their playing is inspired, even striding in the realm of virtuosic, with an obvious ability for improvisation and a good sense of how to build a piece. The material is generally high energy with an emphasis on upbeat numbers." Album Description Istanbul, "the center of the world", the only city in the world straddling two continents, Europe and Asia, is the gateway to the west for the cultures of Eurasia. And so, Istanbul's neighborhoods, back streets, and alleys pulse to the cultural origins of their inhabitants; Turks, Greeks, Azeri, Persians, Kurds, Turkmen, Romany. These neighborhoods echo with their native tongues, and ring with their music and dance. Turku takes you to on a musical tour of some of this ancient city's ethnic neighborhoods with their performance of songs and dances from the "Alleys of Istanbul". About the Artist Turku was formed in 1996. Since then, they have gained recognition throughout the US as a premier World Music Ensemble. The Turku show has evolved from an instrumental showcase to a high energy tribal event complete with stage visual effects and a troop of folk dancers. BAND MEMBERS Ted Monnich Farzad Roberts Carla Monnich David Korup Shahriar Panahi