Recorded at Cemal Reşit Rey, this singular night brings together Derya Türkan, Michel Godard, Ali Bahrami Fard, Efren Lopez, and Arto Tunçboyaciyan in a circle of deep listening—documented by Batu Akyol as the moment tradition, improvisation, and presence converged.



Recorded in the resonant stone architecture of Stone Nest, this live performance brings together three defining voices of contemporary jazz: saxophonist Alex Hitchcock, bassist Jasper Høiby, and drummer Robert Mehmet Ikiz. Intricate compositions dissolve into fearless improvisation, shaped by deep rhythmic conversation and harmonic tension. The concert was fully documented on film by Batu Akyol, capturing not only the sound but the fragile, unrepeatable energy of the moment — a BlurNotes live recording where clarity emerges from chaos, and form blurs into freedom.

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Derya Türkan's Circle of Resonance

Derya TürkanThe kemençe is like a human voice: it can hold both sorrow and joy, and it reveals those two sides with an honesty that feels human.

Michel GodardWith the serpent I can speak more like a voice—soft enough to truly dialogue, and free to use quarter-tones and micro-intervals that belong to many musical worlds.

Arto TunçboyacıyanTake your calculator and try to measure my feelings—some things can’t be done by math. That’s why I call it reactional music.

Efren LopezFor me, tradition is accumulated knowledge—centuries of trial and error—that becomes a vocabulary you can use for creativity in a setting like this.

Ali Bahrami FardThis santur was built to remove limitations: it lets me move through many modulations and reach different frequencies, which matters when multiple musical cultures meet.

Video

Circle of Resonance,hosted by Derya Türkan on Istanbul kemençe—an instrument she describes as "close to the human voice," capable of carrying both joy and sorrow—brings together a one-night circle of musicians at Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall (CRR), Istanbul.In this ensemble,Michel Godard (serpent—an early ancestor of the tuba, chosen for its voice-like intimacy and microtonal flexibility),Ali Bahrami Fard (santur—expanded across registers and built for wide modulation and cross-cultural tuning),Efren Lopez (a roaming palette of early and Mediterranean strings, moving between timbres as a composer-creator), andArto Tunçboyacıyan (percussion—"reactional" rhythm as lived philosophy) meet Derya's kemençe in a shared language of deep listening and improvisation.The music doesn't "blend genres" so much as it lets traditions speak to each other in real time—medieval European memory, Ottoman lineage, Anatolian modal thinking, and contemporary textures—held together by attention, space, and trust.The first performance at CRR is also being documented by Batu Akyol , following the project's origin story from pandemic-era conversations into a tangible, resonant gathering on stage.

Join the Circle

Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall / ISTANBUL 2025

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