A Joining of Forces with the “Mehter”

The Mehter (Jannisary Band) Division of the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble, an organization of the Turkish Ministry of Culture, first joined forces with Okay Temiz in May, 1995.

Temiz captured a remarkable synthesis by mingling world music traditions and musicians with the Mehter, or Ottoman Military Band repertoire. Their collaborated concerts included classical music, religious music and classical Turkish music, especially Sufi and mehter tunes, along with traditional folk songs.