Kara Güneş Quintet & Jam Session: An Evening of Mediterranean Music
On the evening of February 23, the Kara Güneş Quintet performed music from the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and the Near East at Tapadum, closing with an open jam session.
After the afternoon’s workshop on Eastern Mediterranean modal music, February 23 continued into the evening with a full concert by the Kara Güneş Quintet: Özgür Yalçın on voice, santur, guitars, and saz; Vaggelis Merkouris on oud and voice; Claudio Cadei on violin and lavta; Pippi Dimonte on double bass; and Alberto Mammollino on percussion.
The group was born from musicians of different backgrounds coming together to explore and cross-pollinate the music of the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and the Near East — a repertoire built from reinterpreted traditional pieces alongside original compositions by Özgür Yalçın, founder of the historic Turkish band Karagüneş.
Thirteen people came for the concert, with seventy more following online, and the night closed the way many of our evenings do — with an open jam session for anyone who wanted to keep playing.