Search - Omar Faruk Tekbilek :: Dance into Eternity: Selected Pieces 1987-1998

Omar Faruk Tekbilek's first international exposure was on Brian Keane's 1988 album Suleyman the Magnificent (13023-2). A film was being made about the Ottoman emperor Suleyman to coincide with the opening of an exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Keane was hired to do the soundtrack. Wanting to incorporate Turkish instruments and players, Keane called Arif Mardin, the legendary producer of the Bee Gees and Aretha Franklin and asked if he knew any Turkish musicians. He didn't, but called later saying his cooks went to Fazils, a belly dance club in Manhattan. This is where Keane first heard Faruk play, and he recalls, "You could tell immediately that he was different. His playing was so emotional, he really stood out."Keane knew what he wanted for the soundtrack - the mystical sound of the Sufi flute, or ney, added to his own synthesizer. As far as he knew, this combination hadn't been done before, and he invited Faruk to his studio to try it. "When Faruk started playing," he says, "the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It was magic from the start."This compilation, Dance into Eternity: Selected Pieces 1987-1998, contains Faruk's finest work, including a previously unissued performance from a WNYC-FM radio concert recorded in New York City in 1990 and a track by Faruk's old band, The Sultans, culled from a private release. "Working with Faruk has been one of the most satisfying musical experiences of my life," says Keane. Both helped with the music selection on this compilation, which reflects some of the finest flowerings of Faruk's Tree of Patience.