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review Mama’s Bag

Founded by luthier – finger picking master Çağlayan Örge (banjo-guitar), Suna Suner (vocal, tambourine) and Sarp Keskiner (vocal, electric lead and slide guitar, kazoo, harmonica, tambourine, snare and cymbal) in 1996, MAMA & FRIENDS is known as “the ever first combo in Turkey based on pre-war blues styles, gospels and spirituals.” This album presents an unreleased bundle of materials taken from the live sessions of the trio, recorded directly to a cassette recorder by in house sound engineer Kubilay Gürol, between June and August 1997, at Eylül Müzik Kulübü.Gospels and spirituals performed here are also known as secondary examples ever recorded in Turkey. Thus, enjoy this rare audio documentary featuring covers of Robert Johnson, Jesse Fuller, Leadbelly and Bessie Smith. Other than displaying a naïve authenticity, “Mama’s Bag” captures a historical time frame of the local blues scene in Turkey, when any event representing those styles was able to pull together hundreds of people, enjoying the diversity of the blues inventory.

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review Mama & Friends from the UK

this one just came in:

Mama & Friends — Mama’s Bag / Bone Union Records
Well here’s a turn-up for the books. A group of Turkish musicians whose music reflects the early roots of the blues and gospel music, as with a high degree of authenticity, they bring to life the music of Robert Johnson, Jesse Fuller, Leadbelly and Bessie Smith and others. The musicians in question are Çağlayan Örge (banjo- guitar), Suna Suner (vocal, tambourine) and Sarp Keskiner (vocal, electric lead and slide guitar, kazoo, harmonica, tambourine, snare & a cymbal). The band was formed in 1996 and these recordings were made in 1997 at various live gigs in Turkey, recorded on a cassette recorder by in-house sound. But don’t let that put you off—this is a revivalist band par excellence! Take a listen to ‘This Little Light of Mine’, the old spiritual. It comes with vocals that sound like they emanate from a church in rural Mississippi and with a slide guitar that constantly reminds me of the very best ‘sacred steel’ work by the likes of Sonny Tredway, Willy Eason or Aubrey Ghent. These folks have done their homework! This is an album that is replete with authenticity taking some old favourites like ‘CC Rider’, ‘Trouble In Mind’ and ‘Careless Love’ and presenting them with a verve and panache that takes them to a new place. I really like this one, it has a nice feel about it and a certain je ne sais quoi which puts it in a different place than many of the revivalist groups I hear.

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new single Bone Union Records

today we released

BUR 1108 – The Shrimps – So Worried

Founded by Sarp Keskiner (vocal, guitar) and Bora Çeliker (vocal, guitar) in 2000, in order to present their versatile attempt to blend New Orleans grooves with 50’s and 60’s Latin American music and post-war Chicago blues; The Shrimps was one of a kind for sure in the Turkish blues community, by including the best musicians of the “cover” era. Thus, defined as a super-group by the audience as soon as it was massively promoted, the band had the ability to swiftly pitch around many genres. They were based in Ankara, which was the capital of Turkish blues scene, standing as an anti-thesis against to SRV wannabes but treating the scene with a punk-ish attitude. The band did not last after their debut performance but left this performance behind, which was recorded live in January 2000. “So Worried” is an original track suggesting us as if Wolf recorded it with Omar Khorshid in Cairo.

  • Sarp Keskiner: vocals, guitar
  • Bora Çeliker: guitar, harmonica
  • Burak Güngörmüş: bass
  • Alp Esin: bongos
  • Yusuf Tunceli: drums

The single is released digital and available on all the download and streaming platforms.

Bone Union Records was founded as a sub label from Black and Tan Records in June 2020 together by Sarp Keskiner (TR). The label aims to document a neglected musical scene in Turkey not just by releasing archival material from mid-90’s to this date; but also keen on releasing brand new material from Turkish artists. Though the scope mainly consist rare recordings of local traditional blues, urban blues and gospel acts, the material varies wildly by inclusion of folk, funk, dub, noise and experimental releases, that goes way beyond the borders of conventional blues.

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new release Bone Union Records

today we released on Bone Union Records

BUR 1107 – Mama & Friends – Mama’s Bag

Founded by luthier – finger picking master Çağlayan Örge (banjo-guitar), Suna Suner (vocal, tambourine) and Sarp Keskiner (vocal, electric lead and slide guitar, kazoo, harmonica, tambourine, snare & a cymbal) in 1996; MAMA & FRIENDS is known as “the ever first combo in Turkey, based on pre-war blues styles, gospels and spirituals.” This album presents an unreleased bundle of materials taken from the live sessions of the trio, recorded directly to a cassette recorder by in house sound engineer Kubilay Gürol, between June and August 1997, at Eylül Müzik Kulübü.1 Gospels and spirituals performed here are also known as secondary examples, ever recorded in Turkey. Thus, enjoy this rare audio documentary; featuring covers of Robert Johnson, Jesse Fuller, Leadbelly and Bessie Smith.3 Other than displaying a naïve authenticity; “Mama’s Bag” captures a historical time frame of local blues scene in Turkey, when any event representing those styles was able to pull together hundreds of people, enjoying the diversity of the blues inventory.

Sarp Keskiner: guitar
Suna Suner: vocal
Çağlayan Örge: banjo-guitar

The album is released digital and available on all the download and streaming platforms.

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new single ElectroBluesSociety + Boo Boo Davis

Today we released

B&T 980 = Ain’t No Love – ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis

A double-bass-driven psychedelic electro blues song… and the fifth single release from the ‘transatlantic quarantaine sessions”

Between 1998 and 2020 Boo Boo Davis used to tour in Europe several times each year and a lot of music was written and recorded during these tours.  The current pandemic put that on hold . But with the help of the internet and Chris Brown in St Louis, the guys from ElectroBluesSociety (Netherlands) started to exchange idea’s and demo tapes with Boo Boo in East St Louis (USA). 

The single is released digital and available on all the download and streaming platforms.

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review Boo Boo Davis + ElectroBluesSociety from the UK

ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis– You Better Watch Yourself
Boo Boo Davis, born and raised in Drew, Mississippi, and the ElectroBluesSociety (Jan Mittendorp on guitar and “buttons”, Jasper Mortier on bass and drums). create some fine if rather different modern blues and here’s another – it’s not the Little Walter song, by the way. Recorded in Holland and Saint Louis, Missouri, as part of the “Transatlantic Quarantine Sessions”, it features Boo Boo’s strong down-home vocals and wailing blues harp over an electronic-styled backing and some sampled effects. It works too. Many blues lovers might shy away from the electronic backing, but this is really just another example of the music modernising itself. Give it a try…
Norman Darwen

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new single ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis

Today we released on Black and Tan Records:

B&T 979 – ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis – It’s A Sad Thing

This is the fourth single release from the ‘transatlantic quarantaine sessions’.

From 1998 up to 2020 Boo Boo Davis used to tour in Europe several times each year and a lot of music was written and recorded during these tours. Covid-19 crated a (temporarily) stop to that tradition. But with the help of the internet and Chris Brown in St Louis, the guys from ElectroBluesSociety started to exchange idea’s and demo tapes with Boo Boo in East St Louis (USA) and their studio in the Netherlands. 

The track is available on all the download and streaming platforms:

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new single Bone Union Records

Today we released on Bone Union Records:

BUR 1105 – Great Republic Of South – Republic Radio (live)

Founded by Sarp Keskiner and Deniz Cuylan in 2005, Great Republic of South was born as a side studio project of respected producers, and a collective effort on creating remixes of various soundtracks composed by Keskiner, for a radio drama project displaying the chronological backlog of Turkish short stories. Both names were coming from opposite musical backgrounds as none of them had a common before; so addition of most beloved, pioneering drummers of the Turkish indie rock scene for a series of concerts to promote the album caused uproar, as the national audience chose to describe the cast as a “super group”. “Republic Radio” is composed as the anthem of the conceptual album; based on an article published by Keskiner, indicating the ongoing cultural antagonism between the “Northern” and “Southern” nations. Recorded live at Babylon, Istanbul in 2014; this track properly displays the collective power of the quartet that decided to take a permanent nap in 2016.

Musicians:
Sarp Keskiner: electric guitar(s), pre-recorded bass, flute and percussion
Deniz Cuylan: lap top and keyboards
Berke Can Özcan: drums, percussion
Orçun Baştürk: drums, percussion

The single is released digital and available on all the download and streaming platforms. Here are the links to a few popular ones:

Bone Union Records was founded in June 2020 by Sarp Keskiner (TR) and Jan Mittendorp (NL). The label aims to document a neglected musical scene in Turkey not just by releasing archival material from mid-90’s to this date; but also keen on releasing brand new material from Turkish artists. Though the scope mainly consist rare recordings of local traditional blues, urban blues and gospel acts, the material varies wildly by inclusion of folk, funk, dub, noise and experimental releases, that goes way beyond the borders of conventional blues. Thus, the label supports any musical efforts to improve the chances of exchange of blues and neighboring genres between Netherlands and Turkey.