Recently, a collective of San Francisco-based musicians created a unique musical concept: a band whose primary aim is to reach a travel destination. Luckily for us, that destination is Istanbul. With a total of twelve members — although this number may still increase — Istanbul Connection performs music that is influenced by a variety of places, from Latin America to the Balkans, from the United States to the Middle East. Its members are all active in the San Francisco musical community through their work with other bands including LoCura and Inspector Gadje Balkan Brass. Representing a multicultural fusion of musical flavors, many of its members hail from different corners of the world such as Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, and the United States. Apart from friendship, they are now bound by the fact that each member possesses an airline ticket to Istanbul. They are scheduled to arrive on April 21st and are eager to stitch themselves into the local weave. I had the opportunity to interview the band’s bass player Isaac Weiser to learn more about how traveling to Istanbul is integral to the musical creativity of the band dubbed Istanbul Connection.
Which came first: travel plans or the band?
It started with Morgan (the clarinet player). She wanted to go to Istanbul and some other people were going from Inspector Gadje, a fifteen-piece Serbian-style brass band. Morgan kept asking more people to join. Soon a big group of us had all purchased cheap $700 non-stop tickets from San Francisco. Then the band idea came about.
What kind of music do you play?
We play a fusion of Rhumba, Flamenco, Balkan, Turkish, Latin, and Rock. We are really influenced by California-style multiculturalism.
Who is involved in the project?
The main coordinator is Peter Jacques, who lives and works in Istanbul as a musical educator and a master clarinetist and trumpeter. He is helping us schedule gigs and arrange some of our accommodations. Other than that, [the project is made up of] a total of nine males and three females making the following musical contributions: vocals (Kata Miletich), cajón and vocals (Raúl Vargas), flamenco baile and palmas (Melissa Cruz), alto sax (Paul Bertin), clarinet (Morgan Nilsen and Greg Jenkins), oud and violin (Haluk Kecelioğlu) guitar (Bob Sanders and Alex Miller), drums and percussion (Sean Tergis and Marco Peris), and bass (myself, Isaac Weiser).
What excites you most about the trip and the band?
Going with a big group of people to another country excites me because we have a chance to bring our flavor of music to Istanbul. We will show the people of Istanbul that we listen to and play the music from that region. I look forward to the possibilities of intercultural exchange. Everyone in the band is a professional musician who is really good at what they do, so we will be a sight to see. We are a cast of characters — San Francisco is known for its characters.
How long will you travel together as a band?
We will mostly perform together from April 21st through the 27th in Istanbul. After that, some of us are going west through Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia. Others may stay longer in Istanbul.
What special significance does this region of the world have for your music?
Some of the members of the band study Turkish music. They incorporate a lot of influences from Turkish folk music and Eastern European music into their own music.
What kinds of gigs to you have scheduled so far?
We have three gigs planned before traveling. Recently, we just had the first of these at Afrolicious, a regularly scheduled musical event in the Mission District of San Francisco. We had more than 100 people in the audience with a really positive response. When we get to Istanbul, our goal is to interact with people as much as possible, whether it means playing on the street or at a rooftop party. We want to meet local musicians and reach out to the local music scene. So far we have two concerts scheduled: we’ll play at Arsenlüpen on April 22nd and Leyla Teras on April 24th.
Have you traveled abroad with any members of the band before in other musical projects?
I have toured with some of the band members of Locura. We traveled to Nicaragua, Mexico, and Peru. I also went to Colombia with Morgan, our main clarinetist. We had a great time interacting with people on that trip. In the city of Cartegena, we found a group of folkloric dancers and musicians who were performing Palenque, an African style of music. We followed them to different plazas and eventually told them we were musicians. Morgan pulled out her clarinet and impressed them with her talent. After that, they invited her to play with them. She improvised along with traditional musicians and the folk dancers. Colombians are very open — they liked the idea that we were interested in their music.
How will you arrange to travel with your instruments?
We are each going to bring our instruments as our carry-on in the airplane. I am also bringing a small battery powered bass amp made by Roland. It is enough to create the bass feeling. If I can borrow a better amp, I will. My role is to bring a heavy driving bass to make people dance. It sounds good when the bass is bumping. That’s West Coast style.
How do you make decisions with such a large group?
We created a Facebook group to talk and discuss our plans. We typically make decisions democratically, and each person takes on different responsibilities. For example, I booked our gig and hired a videographer to make our promotional video last week.
Do you plan to document your travels and record your performances?
I’m bringing a recorder for the live performances. Apart from that, we’re a big group in the era of smart phones. We all plan to take videos of each other since everyone has a video camera, and maybe we’ll put something together afterwards.
Will the band stay together after you return to San Francisco?
It all depends on the trip. If we get a good reaction from the audiences, we’ll most likely continue.
What particular advice do you have for other musicians who are traveling abroad?
Go with a really open mind. Be willing to listen to people when you’re visiting their home and their culture. Then really listen and be open to sharing.
Istanbul Connection will be playing at Arsenlüpen on April 22nd and Leyla Teras on April 24th. For exact times, check out the Facebook pages of the venues.
Featured Image Source: Amanda Sol
