Istanbul Is Sorta Constantinople
“The Legacy of Istanbul in America” brings Mehter bands and more to Jordan Hall on Thursday, 27 February 2025.
Zildjians, Atlantic Records, Jazz and more explored in workshops and talks at the New England Conservatory.
A full-day schedule awaited the hearty souls who like a little historical gloss with their music at “The Legacy of Istanbul in America” concert and pre-concert events.
Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix
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Hump Nights
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Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix 〰️ Hump Nights 〰️
Hump Nights
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Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix
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Hump Nights 〰️ Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix 〰️
Professor Mehmet Ali Sanlikol explains things at the Mehter Band Workshop.
A full-day schedule awaited the hearty souls who like a little historical gloss with their music at “The Legacy of Istanbul in America” concert and pre-concert events.
10:00 a.m. – Mehter Band Workshop
12:00 p.m. – Presentations by John Edward Hasse & Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol
2:30 p.m. – Panel Discussion
7:30 p.m. – "The Legacy of of Istanbul in America" Concert
The “legacy” in question is primarily musical. Professor Mehmet Ali Sanlikol gathered a coterie of students for a Mehter band workshop – think, a kind of proto-marching band – in which he and his students demonstrated the ins and outs of the instruments that make up these ensembles, embedded in the history of Istanbul, and the greater region, for over a thousand years. Cymbals, drums, horns of great variety.
Mehter bands, so went the professor’s explanation, were the point of origin for the modern European marching band, and a chunk of the modern European symphony, as we understand them today. A marvelous din filled the hall as the band practiced a tune it planned to play at the official concert later that evening.
The “legacy” extends to the development of American popular music, such as jazz, and the business of music. Zildjian cymbals set up shop in Quincy, Massachusetts, and the company worked in lockstep with contemporary jazz musicians to improve and expand their products to satisfy the musical imagination of the burgeoning jazz scene.
Further, Atlantic Records, a label that promoted African-American popular music and helped turn Ray Charles into an international star, was founded and owned by the Ertegun brothers, Nesuhi and Ahmet, sons of a Turkish diplomat, and inveterate jazz hounds.
If you’ve ever seen the Ray Charles biopic, starring Jamie Foxx, the character of Ahmet Ertegun appears throughout, played by the actor who played Booger in Revenge Of The Nerds.
The Mehter Band opens the evening concert.
The evening concert featured a program that included a Mehter band, performing historical compositions, at the top, followed by a fuller symphony with more recent compositions at the bottom of the set.
A member of the Zildjian family was in the house. Seemed like there was a lot of “kissing the ring” in play.
Photo Gallery
Gazey dream pop from Taiwan.