Istanbul Blues Company

Istanbul Blues Company (İstanbul Blues Kumpanyası in Turkish; referred as IBC hereafter) was a blues band from Turkey.[1][2] They are often referred as The Original Turkish Blues Band and bring the blues sound to their national melodies, harvesting both to put together a unique and plausible sound.[citation needed] Despite being short-lived, the band was influential on both the Turkish blues scene and other bands.[1]

Istanbul Blues Company
GenresBlues
Years active1993 (1993)–2000 (2000)

History

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IBC was founded in October 1993 by Sarp Keskiner and Salih Nazım Peker as Constantinople Blues Company.[1][3][4] They were inspired by blues collectives such as John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated.[5] Their first album, the thirteen-track Kökler, was released on tape in a batch of 3,000 in October 1996 and on CD in 1997.[4][5] Keskiner directed, produced, composed, authored, and arranged this album[citation needed] before leaving in 1997.[3] IBC released their second and final album, Sair Zamanlar, in 1999[5] before embarking on their last tour.[citation needed] The band dissolved in 2000.[4]

In 2022, Bone Union Records released a 1997 recording of IRB playing at the Efes Pilsen Blues Festival.[5][1]

Personnel

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Founders

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Collective

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  • Tuğrul Aray[5] - harmonica, tenor saxophone, saxoflute, pipes, kaval
  • İlhan Babaoglu - alto saxophone, bass vocals
  • Orçun Baştürk[5] - drums, bells, piano, conga, timbals, vocals, gongs
  • Oya Erkaya - bass
  • Erke Erokay - electric guitar, acoustic guitar
  • Murat Ertel - FX guitar
  • Burak Guven - bass
  • Vefa Karatay[5] - bass
  • Suna Suner - vocals
  • Ertan Tekin - zurna, mey, cura mey
  • Erdem Tonguc - Farfisa organ, piano

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Mittendorp, Jan (2022-03-13). "NEW RELEASE BONE UNION RECORDS". Black and Tan Records. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  2. ^ "Istanbul Blues Kumpanyasi". National Geographic. n.d. Archived from the original on September 18, 2006. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  3. ^ a b c Galasi, Gian Paolo (2011-09-01). "Re:konstruKt: New Music Online From Istanbul". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  4. ^ a b c BEŞER, MURAT (2022-04-10). "İstanbul Blues Kumpanyası "Kökler"" (in Turkish). sOL. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Mittendorp, Jan (2022-03-16). "review from Turkey" (in Turkish). Black and Tan Records. Retrieved 2022-04-11.