Rewend (Nomad)

Aynur, “Rewend” (Nomad)
Arista/Sony, 2010) – ALL TRACKS FCC CLEAN
Reviewed by Abu Ramses

Immensely popular Aynur Dogan is Turkey’s first Kurdish star vocalist & the musical face of Turkish Kurds. She sings mostly in Kurdish, especially folk tunes - a highly political act - with some Turkish. Rhythms, sounds & instrumentation are mainly traditional - ney (flute), oud, kemençe (spike fiddle), zirne (oboe-like), daf (frame drum), tembur (saz), harp, & tabla (goblet drum). Some western instruments (double base, guitar). Original album liner notes have lyrics and translations.

Try 1, 2, 3, 10, 11-12
Tracks

1. Rewend (Nomad) – Kurdish; Frame drum intro; alternates eerie, droning with more melodic parts. (like Scandinavian folk tunes?) - 3:46
2. Xivse (a place name) – Kurdish, upbeat, saz intro, backup singers - 3:43
3. Xewn (Dream) – Kurdish; features harp & Aynur's solo voice - 5:07
4. Koçere (Nomad Girl)– Kurdish; mid-tempo, solo voice accompanied by light background instrumentation and full ensemble on breaks - 4:25
5. Yaranmaz Ashik (Coarse Lover) – Turkish. Slow, mournful, solo song of unfaithful love with wailing solo kemençe (fiddle) on breaks- 4:20
6. Dotmame (Cousin/If only) Kurdish – A slow, traditional “eastern” sound, with tembur, oud, guitar and several unusual wind instruments - 2:45.
CAREFUL: No pause before next track
7. Improvisation of Bérivané – walking tempo, wind instruments -1:32
8. Delalé (My beauty) – Kurdish; proud country girl boldly struts her stuff over an instrumental drone. CAREFUL: Ends around 3:10 - 3:22
9. Şin U Şaye (Grief and Happiness) – traditional Kurdish lyrics, eerie chanting, like an incantation, then ney (flute) solo - 3:57
10. Gézalé (Story of Gézalé) – Kurdish tale of a young woman married off to someone other than her true love; choral bridge, saz, and slow, solo
vocal - 5:01
11. Dawzer (Yellow Dress) – traditional Kurdish, slow intro, upbeat folk dance, jazz-style electric guitar improv (foretaste of next track) - 2:39
CAREFUL: No pause before next track
12. Improvisation of Dawzer – zirne takes the lead in jazz-style improv - 3:24