This is a collection of captivating, improvisational vocal performances—rich in melisma (ornamental melodies)—carefully selected from SP records produced from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s. This era was marked by the aftermath of turbulent events, including the dissolution and partition of the Ottoman Empire, the Greco-Turkish War, and the subsequent forced population exchange.

It was also a period following the establishment of the Republic when efforts to Westernize the nation’s music were being vigorously pursued. Traditional music education was banned in schools, and later, the broadcast of classical Ottoman Turkish music on the radio was completely prohibited. As a result, these songs feel like relics of an even more distant past, while at the same time evoking a very close connection to the Greek “Amanes” and “Rebetiko.” This is because they all trace their origins to the same “maqam” system of the Ottoman Empire and share themes of lost love, longing, and pain. (From the label information) (Original Japanese text by COMPUMA)