02
Mar
Above is a shot of the beginning of Istiklal Ave., from the end of Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey. This is where Laurel and I most often busk. There are plenty of buskers to be found here—from men in their 50’s playing saz to support the education of their children, to younger Turks with guitars singing Pink Floyd. Also you’ll catch a Laz Turkish musician playing kemançe, a type of fiddle. The recording here is of a kemançe, but I can’t say one way or another if it’s Laz. I was walking down Taksim and heard the busker in the distance and turned on my portable recorder. You can hear as I approach and the music gets louder, as well as the digital interference coming and going from the cellphones in people’s pockets. I stood there for a bit before walking off to get some food around the corner. The man had his fiddle hooked up to an amp with plenty of reverb, which added a nice effect to a street whose throngs of people usually dampen and mute an acoustic instrument into oblivion. Enjoy!
