Olcay BayirNeva/Harmony
Riverboat Records
Olcay Bayir hails from Turkey, but she currently lives in London, where the sounds of the world seem to congregate with such ease. Olcay knows how to channel this world music of sorts in her own recording of Turkish, Anatolian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern-influenced music. There is an element of jazz and neo-classical, which permeates throughout the yearning tracks. The music is ripe with folk elements and evocative vocal deliveries, which present listeners with an amazing listening experience. Olcay also incorporates traditional folk songs from Albanian, Armenian, Balkan, and Sephardic sources for a truly world fusion result. However, Olcay is well-centered with a creative vision that transcends space, time, and place. The music is made possible by the baglama, classical guitar, violin, darbuka, clarinet, bass, kopuz, and numerous other instruments. There are nine tracks in all that run about forty-eight-minutes long. There is an overall nostalgic romanticism with the music that is extremely enchanting and well-worth repeated listens. Hooray for Olcay! ~ Matthew Forss
