TEMPO Lounge ~ Doors at 7 PM | Show at 8 PM

Don't miss this opportunity to catch 11+ piece international ensemble Sekanjabin as their singer Gulin Ciloglu tours the east coast from Instanbul.

Sekanjabin infuses traditional Turkish music with various rhythms and styles from around the world, and re-imagines it with not-so-traditional instrumentation. From salsa and flamenco to reggae to calypso, Sekanjabin breathes new life into centuries old folk music. The group’s ever-changing cast of musicians boasts members from the US, Turkey, and Peru. The combination has left the band with an eclectic and authentic mix of world influences. Front woman Gulin Ciloglu spends most of her time in Istanbul, but whenever she returns to the States, Sekanjabin assembles! The result is a unique, high-energy live show that spills over from the stage to the dance floor – a wild and unusual flavor, instantly refreshing and inspirational!

With two Violins, accordion, reeds, an oud, and all manner of world percussion amped up to club-worthy energy levels by a rhythm section of electric guitar and bass and full drum kit, Sekanjabin brings it. After so many years of playing together and self-mixing in every kind of performance environment, from coffee houses and listening rooms to packed clubs, they sounds as good with one mic as with 15 and can, as if by some kind of magic, fit comfortably into whatever space is allotted them. Seknajabin makes a big sound as only a large and skilled ensemble can, but what most people tend to remember when the night is done is the piquant, big-hearted charm of the woman with the microphone.

As its members are always eager to clarify, Sekanjabin does not play traditional Turkish folk music. The ethno-folk collective fronted by the irrepressible Turkish singer Gülin Çiloğlu is adamant on that point, in part because these musicians are serious students and lovers of all world music. Their dance and folk fusion draws from a trove of world-sourced melodies (many learned originally by Gülin as a child in Istanbul, others adapted from contemporary Turkish pop) set to a joyous collision of the various rhythms the players taught each other during countless get-togethers: Turkish, Gypsy, Calypso, Cumbia and Cascara, bellydance, reggae and many more. It is hypnotic, ecstatic, celebratory, participatory, and musically rich. Pure, however, it is not.

Sekanjabin was born of an improbable encounter in a New Paltz, NY coffee shop where the grad student Gülin, freshly arrived in the states, had gone to work on a full regression analysis. There, she stumbled on “a crew of four playing ‘Garoon Garoon’ (‘Blue Beads’). They did not resemble Turks at all.” Sekanjabin’s co-founder and de-facto musical director Rick Birmingham noticed Gülin mouthing the words to the song. “The bandana man playing the violin came to me and said, 'How do you know the lyrics of these songs?' I said, 'They are known in every Turkic country; it is not a special situation.'” Birmingham invited Gülin to sing with them. She did, and “their eyes all shone.” Only moments later, the new ensemble relocated to an open mic down the street and performed publicly for the second time, 15 minutes after meeting. The rest is history.

Ticket Pricing
Advance tickets (online): $10 / $15 / $25
Day-of / Door price: $15, subject to availability.

Choose the ticket that feels right for you. Every option supports Tempo in its own way, and we’re grateful to have you with us.

Event is in the TEMPO Lounge. Enter the building through the side door on Hunter St.

Tempo Kingston is a project of Kingston Music Initiative (KMI).
Kingston Music Initiative is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, recognized by the IRS. Our EIN is 99-0864420. Contributions to Kingston Music Initiative are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.