Although experimenting with “Eastern” and “Western” musical forms has become somewhat of a trend in recent years, Asia Minor stands out in a crowded genre for its original and inspiring take on melding jazz with traditional Turkish, Balkan, and Middle Eastern melodies. Under the direction of bassist and composer Kamil Erdem, the group has released four successful albums and toured extensively on the world music circuit. Erdem, the group’s founder, shies from using the term “synthesis,” and describes Asia Minor’s music as an expression of accumulation that emerged spontaneously. Combining Middle Eastern scales with quarter tones on the fretless bass and Western harmony in both compositions and performances is the group’s signature.

If pressed, one could term Asia Minor’s creative output as “jazz with a Turkish twist” and not be too far off the mark, but the best way to grasp the group’s original and progressive sound is to listen to it for yourself. So join us, rain or shine, at Central Park and see (or listen) for yourself why Asia Minor has become such an important name in world music.

The group will mainly perform selections from its critically acclaimed recent release, Kedi Rüyasi/Cat’s Dream.