Għanafest 2011: A folk celebration

Folk event Għanafest is back on Friday for a three-day sojourn that will combine the vibrant live performances it has become renown­ed for, with workshops on traditional instruments and a special programme for children.

In line with its established focus on Mediterranean and related folk roots, the festival will be offering an eclectic line-up.

This ranges from Turkish folk-jazz fusion, Persian music and an intriguing act from Sicily, topped off with a varied showcase of our own traditional folk song.

This year’s list of participating bands and artists includes the Big Band Brothers, who will be performing a selection of Maltese songs from the 1930s.

There will also be world beat fusion trio Trania, featuring Walter Vella, Jason Fabri and Mark Attard, as well as singer-songwriters David Azzopardi and The Greenfields.

The foreign element consists of three bands from Sicily, Turkey and Iran. Sicilian band Nakaira use instruments such as the Zampogna, Saz, Bouzouki and the Oud to fuse influences from their homeland with Greek traditions.

Turkish quartet Swing a la Turc will offer a taste of the Middle East in their folk-jazz inspired music.

Iranian ensemble Navà will deliver a performance of Persian music from both the classical and folk tradition.

Għanafest 2011 is presented by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and will be held at Argotti Gardens in Floriana on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost €3 per night or €7 for all three days and are available at the door.

There will be parking space at the Floriana Boy Scouts headquarters next to the venue.

www.maltafolkmusicfestival.org

Aziz Senol Filiz and the ney flute

On Saturday, a jazz quartet from Istanbul will be performing on one of the oldest forms of flute which dates to Egyptian times as part of Għanafest.

The quartet Swing a la Turc features Aziz Şenol Filiz, one of the most respected masters of the Turkish ney reed flute. In Turkey, the ney is more than a musical instrument. The Mevlevi (whirling dervishes) long ago adopted the ney as their main instrument for the Sema, the spiritual service that includes the trance dancing spinning.

Besides being a highly respected master of the Turkish ney, Şenol Filiz has developed new projects with his instrument. In 1990, together with guitarist and composer Birol Yayla he established the ensemble Yansımalar (Reflections) which has been invited to perform internationally in major festivals.

Between 1999 and 2000 Şenol Filiz and Birol Yayla produced 60 episodes for BRT television hosting famous musicians. Other projects by Şenol Filiz and Birol Yayla include an anthology of ney players: Ney (2004) and an album of vintage recordings by Niyazi Sayın and Necdet Yaşar (2005).

In 2007 Şenol Filiz released an album Swing a la Turc with famous jazz musician Önder Focan. This formation will be presented as part of Saturday’s programme.

Swing a la Turc quartet presents a wide repertoire from both Turkish classical music masters as well as contemporary composers. The music arrangements by Önder Focan portray influences from jazz to Turkish music.

The oldest ney is 5,000 years old and was preserved in a good state and is still playable. This kind of ney is still used among certain Ethiopian tribes today. The ney is an end-blown flute with seven holes; six finger-holes and one thumb-hole.

The Turkish ney used by Şenol Filiz has a mouthpiece which serves mainly as a lip-rest. The mouthpiece can be made from water buffalo horn, ivory, ebony or even plastic.

The ney comes in different lengths, each tuned to a specific pitch. A neyati or ney player usually has a set of neys to use depending on the Maqam or key. A normal set consists of seven neys, however, a skilled performer usually uses only two.

The sound of the ney of Şenol Filiz has the haunting quality of vocal chanting even though the music of Swing a la Turc is essentially instrumental.

The famous Turkish novelist, Mario Levi, writes about the music of Şenol Filiz thus: “Some songs speak to you without words... because those songs have a language... a language rooted in your own history... in our own collective memory.”