Selim Sesler - Romanes Clarinet

Emerging from Ibriktepe, an enclave of the village Kesan (Edirne), Selim Sesler uses his clarinet to make Thrace Roman music and expose it to lands near and far. Dubbed �The Coltrane of the Clarinet� by U.K. newspaper The Guardian, Selim Sesler�s latest project, Anatolian Wedding is a collection of �Turkus� (Turkish Folk Songs) traditionally played in the lead up to and during a Turkish wedding. Tapped by the Turkish filmmaker Fatih Ak?n, the musician has appeared in two of the director�s critically acclaimed films, Sesler showcases his sound in �Against the Wall� and communicates his life story to a diverse audience in the documentary �Crossing the Bridge�. The next chapter in Sesler�s story, the album �Anatolian Wedding� transports listeners through the ebb and flow of sheer happiness and infinite sadness typically experienced during wedding festivities. Stretching across the great expanse of land that is modern Turkey, Sesler�s 13-track album is a musical tour that includes stops in the northwestern city Edirne, southeastern Urfa, northeastern Trabzon, and western Izmir, depicting sounds representative of customs from the four-corners of Turkey. Drawing on years of experience in world music, Ben Mandelson and his producing and mixing partner Rob Keyloch tune into Turkus for the first time and maximize the advantage of being �outsiders� to approach the well-loved Turkish songs with a novel outlook. The Outcome: Fresh perspectives lead to restructured arrangements, creating a solid musical substructure. This foundation serves as a launching pad of expression for the musicians to showcase their talents and deliver an album that is a modern rendering of a centuries old repertoire On this journey Ilkay Akkaya and Brenna MacCrimmon communicate with words the human emotions that Selim Sesler�s clarinet expresses through music, sending the listener through a whirlwind of emotions, on a flight into the world of Turkus. The clarinet, violin, ud, and �kanun� combine with Roman and Balkan melodies to depict universal emotions that encapsulate the highs and lows that come with the promise of a new life and the melancholy of an impending separation, capturing once and for all the multitude of moods that accompany a Turkish Wedding.