Suleyman The Magnificent: Original Soundtrack
Suleyman the Magnificentis the seminal album of Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Brian Keane, where Turkish traditionalism met American atmospherics. Tekbilek was a Turkish immigrant who was playing belly-dancing music with his group, the Sultans. Keane was a producer of pop and jazz and a notable guitarist. While scoring his soundtrack to the documentary,Suleyman the Magnificent, Keane wanted some authentic Turkish sounds to accompany this tale of the Ottoman Empire and one of its sultans. He got that and more with Tekbilek. From the opening forlorn cry of the kaval flute on "Scenes of Istanbul," the music here (all based on traditional modes and rhythms, but most of it original) conjures up ancient palaces and desert plains. Keane adds subtle synthesizer pads to some songs, but most of them feature Tekbilek wailing across a kinetic percussion bed or blowing some of the most serene melodies this side of heaven.--John Diliberto