Yeksad Music Of Northern Cyprus CD

From a cultural troupe made of a mix of young musicians and technology and architecture students, this album is a sweeping collection of Turkish Cypriot dances, recorded at the Drummondville festival in Quebec in 2005. The works are primarily of a Turkish vein, though there are predictably some additional influences to be heard, particularly small Greek inflections and the use of the nawal (a flute with use often associated with the Balkans). The music is well performed, with more of a mission to showcase as many forms as possible than to achieve the highest level in a single form. For a basic overview of the lesser-heard northern end of Cyprus, this album isn't a bad introduction. There are certainly others that are more developed, but don't show the range that this one does. ~ Adam Greenberg