'The Gitar Cafe'

On a quiet Tuesday evening last week I had possibly one of my best evenings yet in Istanbul, and I'm afraid it was disappointingly devoid embarrassing drunken antics.

I mentioned in a previous blog that I had spoken to a Spanish street musician on the ferry crossing over to the European side. In all his Mediterranean warmth and gusto, he implored me to go to a gig he was playing in a little cafe that goes by the name of 'The Gitar Cafe'. And yes, either they have spelt it wrong, or 'gitar' is Turkish for 'guitar', I'm yet to find out which.

Anyway, not wanting to turn down an invitation, off I went on that Tuesday night, flatmate Kyle in tow. As we shuffled up one of the windy old mohogony staircases that seem to be characteristic of all older buildings in the city, we couldn't help but notice that there was no noise coming from the cafe. We realised why when we entered. The place is no bigger than an average sized living room, dimly lit with a fantastic wrought iron chandalier, and furnished with a motley selection of low sofas, wooden chairs and rickety tables. In anticipation of the music, the atmosphere was such that people were keeping conversation to a low hum.

There is no bar in the cafe, but beer and wine are supplied from a tardis-like fridge in the kitchen round the back. In fact, it occurred to me when I went there for a second time last night that 'The Gitar Cafe' may actually be someone's appartment...

Back to the quiet Tuesday evening. I was greeted by my Spanish friend with much animation before he rushed to the platform at the front to begin his set. He played a couple of covers before moving on to the more raw and emotive Spanish pieces. There was a small group of Spanish women seated next to the stage who would at times spontaneously join with the most perfectly fused harmonies. They later joined Codo on stage with a violin, two clarinets and another guitar and performed a series of what seemed to be Spanish folk or flamenco songs. They were beautiful to watch; they gave the most engaging, natural, joyful performance, the expressions on their faces speaking volumes for their sentiment for the music.

Another thing that amazed me was that instead of treating it as background noise, every person in the room was giving the performance their full attention. In spite of this, it was not an isolated experience; throughout the evening a lovely warmth spread through the audience, until the whole group was full of smiles for eachother. Conversation after the music had finished was easy and fluid.

May there be many more nights like this.