DESCRIPTION:
Track 6 'Yedinci Cocuk' from the 1998 album Sulukule: Rom Music of Istanbul (Traditional Crossroads).

The title is derived from the Sulukule (Turkish for "water tower") district of Istanbul, a Roma (Gypsy) neighbourhood that at one time was renowned for its musicians and performance venues. Unfortunately, the night clubs were closed down in 1992, and the area was tabbed for redevelopment after subsequently falling into a major state of decline. As the neighbourhood deteriorated, the traditional Roma musical ensembles largely disappeared. Some members of the old guard remain, none more notable than Kemani (Turkish for "violin master") Cemal Cinarli.

The tracks featured on this album were recorded sometime during the 1970s and originally released on cassette in Turkey. The CD format includes a booklet with well researched notes. Kemani Cemal's ensemble includes musicians who play instruments such as oud, clarinet, kanun (Turkish harp), and darbuka (a type of goblet drum).

Gypsy violin player Kemani Cemal is one of the most respected musicians in Turkey today. Known for his remarkable mastery of Turkish taksim (improvisation), Cemal fronts wedding and nightclub Gypsy ensembles throughout Western Turkey. He has been a leading figure in the Turkish recording industry for 20 years.

Cemal is one of the last living links to two of the great musical traditions in Turkey: the classical Gypsy wedding ensemble, based on elaborate, competing and skillful improvisation, and the Istanbul nightclub ensemble, centered around complex interpretations of the classical makam (modal system) and the direct source for some of the best Radio ensembles and traditional music recordings from the 1930s through the '60s. Born in 1928, the 76-year-old Cemal grew up in Edirne's Gypsy musician neighborhood, learning music from his father (a singer and darbuka player). His family moved to Istanbul's musician neighborhood called Lonca in 1937.