Mortissa

Description

Cigdem Aslan invites us here on a journey into the heart of rebetiko, this repertoire of passionate Greek and Turkish songs that emerged in the turbulent 1920s and 1930s. Born in Istanbul to Kurdish parents, Cigdem moved to London in 2003 and joined She'Koyokh, a klezmer music group, in 2008, featured here on three tracks. Under the direction of qanun player Nikolaos Baimpas, traditional instruments (santour, oud, violin, bouzouki) blend with modern ones (double bass, guitar, clarinet). This is not a revival here, but a modern reinterpretation of old classics from this Aegean blues, steeped in nostalgia, pain but also joy, carried by the strongly Eastern-influenced modulations of Cigdem's voice. A deep and magnificent voice that can no doubt bring rebetiko a wider audience.