In what can be best described as a melodious affair, music lovers were enthralled by the multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Burhan Ocal and his Istanbul Oriental Ensemble. As the violins started the rendezvous, the kanun zither joined in. Giving them support were lute and percussion. Burhan Ocal and his army of musicians created magic to say the least at the recent Rajasthan International Folk Festival in Jodhpur. While the audience roared and cheered, the men vigorously tended to their musical instruments, churning out some of the most eclectic tunes for the evening. After a point there was no stopping them as the audience broke away from the organised seating and danced to their lilting and powerful tunes.
Burhan Ocal and his ensemble from Turkey were indeed a treat to watch and listen at RIFF. As they created and weaved music tune by tune, layer by layer, music lovers couldn’t stop being amazed by their sheer energy and power in doling out the Rom Gypsy and Turkish folk music. The morning after their virtuoso performance is a different story. We meet in the chilled out coffee house overlooking the majestic Umaid Bhavan Palace gardens where Burhan spoke about what he loves the most in life: Music. As his band members contribute to the interesting conversation, they all provide a great insight into their style of music.
India is not new to Burhan. A man who dons many hats, Burhan first visited India around 24 years ago. “Someone once told me at a jazz festival in Switzerland that why don’t we play our own music. From then on, I decided that to keep our traditional music alive. I had to strive hard and play music that spoke about our people and culture. Of course, we have improvised over the years with various jazz, Western Classical and Russian compositions,” says Burhan.
Burhan says that their repertoire consists of typical Istanbul music, which is popularly known as “belly dance music” to people outside. While their rhythmic patterns had the crowds asking for more, Burhan says that the Indian technique fascinates him more than anything else. In the past he has collaborated with musical giants like Trilok Gurtu and Ustad Zakir Hussain. “It was such a high performing with them. In fact Sivamani is a good friend and we have come together to create music so many times. Indian music fascinates me. It is so dynamic and complex and that is an inspiration to perform here,” says Burhan.
He says that the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble consists of some of the best and most talented musicians from Turkey. “Most of them have undergone rigorous training with their instruments. They all come from different backgrounds and practise 8-10 hours a day to achieve this level of perfection in terms of synchronization and musicality,” says Burhan proudly about his boys.
The multi-faceted musician says that at one point he was almost on his way to become a full-time actor in Hollywood. “I have two passions in life — music and acting. I consider myself to be fortunate as I got an opportunity to pursue them both seriously,” says Burhan. He has acted in several popular Turkish films and is working on TV shows in Hollywood, LA.
As we move on to talk about several other issues that are plaguing the music industry in India, Burhan says that the situation is not very different back home in Turkey. He allows one of his band members to come in and speak about how popular music from the West is giving the classical musicians a tough time. “Everyone wants to listen to popular music which hardly has any depth. It’s sad that music of that kind is taking over and people are forgetting about their traditional music. It’s difficult to keep the tradition alive.”
But love for music keeps them going. “It’s a great feeling when people simply love your music and you end up bringing a smile on their faces,” says Burhan, He adds that feeling of touching a chord with one’s heart is the most important and he is not convinced about his own music till it moves him as a person. Burhan has been one of the few traditionalists who has been striving hard to keep the aesthetics alive. “Everyone must do their own music. The man is quite traditional at heart and through his music, he defines and lives his roots,” says Burhan.
“My heart and my mind undergo a complete transformation when I’m composing a tune. I’m not the same person who is sitting here and talking to you when I compose. It’s sort of a trance and I just forget about the presence of anyone else around me. That feeling of oblivion is exciting to live with,” says Burhan.