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Crescent Moon
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0013711317626
Label: Celestial Harmonies
Manufacturer: Celestial Harmonies
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Celestial Harmonies
Release Date: November 24, 1998
Studio: Celestial Harmonies
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Editorial Review:
Middle Eastern multi-instrumentalist Omar Tekbilek gets solo billing for Crescent Moon even though it is produced by longtime collaborator and keyboardist Brian Keane. Keane also contributes as a musician, along with fellow synthesizer player Steve Roach and several other more-acoustic performers, but the overall sound is close to Tekbilek's roots and traditions. With a couple of exceptions (notably "Salute to the Sun," a heartfelt ambient piece with some vocals from Tekbilek), the 10 cuts are upbeat acoustic exercises using percussion and string and woodwind instruments in traditional settings, with just the slightest hint of electronic washes in the production. Not that the music needs any bolstering; it is sonic enough in its own right. With Crescent Moon, the ancient symbol of the Ottoman Empire and Islam, Tekbilek builds on his reputation as a master musician of great integrity who is interpreting ancient music for today's audience. The liner notes could be a little more informative about the musicians and the recording. --Derek Rath
Crescent Moon is a bewitching blend of Western and Near Eastern sounds. Don't be misled by the presence of synthesizer wizard Steve Roach, or keyboardist/guitarist Brian Keane, or the guest appearance by the rollicking Bulgarian saxophonist Yuri Yunakov - this is an album with clear and deep roots in the ancient legacy of Turkey and Arabian music. In fact, six of the ten tracks are Faruk's arrangements of traditional folk and classical songs from the Arab, Turkish, and Armenian traditions.
Tekbilek's newest project also draws on the sounds of Azerbaijani folksong, Persian mysticism, and classical Arabian belly dancing. He even pays tribute, on the song Yalel, to the famed Egyptian singer Omm Kulthum. (Tekbilek himself is half Egyptian.) Working with many of the same musicians who have made such distinctive contributions to Tekbilek's earlier albums, he creates a kind of global music - a music that acknowledges Greek, Indian, and of course Turkish music, and attempts to find a common ground between all of these. Perhaps his greatest achievement on Crescent Moon is that the album is more than the sum of its parts: it consistently evokes the ecstatic trance of the Sufi dervishes, the biting winds of the desert at night, the rich and exotic scents of an Oriental market, and yet it does so without clearly staying in any one musical tradition.
Much of Crescent Moon is deeply personal. Yunnus is a medley of four Sufi tunes, and reflects his longtime practice of this mystical branch of Islam. Adanali is the name both of a folksong and of the town where Tekbilek was born. The album itself was released as Tekbilek marked his 47th birthday - and he reports that both the numbers 4 and 7 have had recurring significance throughout his life. (He has 7 brothers; he was fourth in line; the street address of the house he grew up in was 47; and Crescent Moon is the fourth album he has made with longtime colleagues Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Ara Dinkjian, and Hasan Isikkut.) Ironically, this most personal recording is also easily accessible to Western listeners. By following his own spiritual impulses, and by ignoring geographic and cultural boundaries, Tekbilek has forged a pan-Middle Eastern music. Crescent Moon is at once contemplative and exciting, full of lively rhythms and lovely melodies - timeless, and yet very much of our time.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Turkish delight!
You can't go wrong choosing any of Omar Faruk Tekbilek's albums! "Crescent Moon" is a beautiful collection of Turkish melodies and exotic rhythms; guaranteed to thrill lovers of Middle Eastern music.
Rating: - A MUST BUY For lovers of Turkish and Meditteranian music
I love it. Especially that last track - it just takes me away from this world and lifts me up somewhere up there in the heavens...
Rating:  - enticing and playful
Omar Faruk Tekbilek's "Crescent Moon" is a great CD. The first time I heard it, I was taking a Belly Dancing series. We began to work on veil, and the instructor put on this CD. It took me right into a trance-like state. I was no longer in a room with other people. I was in the marketplace, and in India. I was entirely moved by the sensuality of the music, and also the playfulness of some of the faster tracks. I would definetly recommend this CD, particularly for veil work. Enjoy!
Rating: - Tekbilek captures your soul
Crescent Moon is a masterpiece. Omar Faruk Tekbilek will touch your soul. I usually reserve praise of this magnitude, but there are few albums in the world as beautiful as this.
Rating: - Faruk RULES!
....if I may be so cliche! He just gets better, and this CD is for ANY collection of ethnic music. Frame drum,doumbek and nay; just to name a few of the instruments played (superbly).....Don't like the nay? This will even please sensitive, western ears. Dancers will find that unusually sensual and 'something special' to dance to. This CD will hold any fan of Mr. Tekbilek until the next one comes!
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