At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe is living in peace and prosperity. The “Belle Époque” is an outgrowth of previous important historical events and developments. The networks that are created and which evolve funnel both people and their products, tangible and intangible. It is within this multi-layered world that sound recording and sound reproduction is invented. Early record labels send mobile crews literally all over the world to record local musicians. The range of the repertoire is endless. Cosmopolitanism in large urban centers favors polystylisms and polymorphisms. Colonialism, revolutions, conflicts, refugee flows; the theater, cinema, radio, photography, orchestras’ tours, but also circulations in all kinds of commercial channels in a world that evolves dynamically and anisotropically, form a complex network of “centers” and “peripheries” in alternating roles setting musical idioms in motion, both literally and figuratively. The networks in which the Greek-speaking musics participate, constantly conversing with their co-tenants, are magnificent. Discography has already provided important tools in understanding the relationships that developed between “national” repertoires. The result of this ongoing research is “Cosmopolitanism in Greek Historical Discography”.

Naturally, in the large urban centers of the Ottoman Empire around the Mediterranean Sea, the “conversations” of the Greek-speakers with their Turkish-speaking Muslim “co-tenants”, the Catholic Greek-speakers, the Armenians, the Sepharadi and Ashkenazi Jews, the Levantine Protestants, and the Europeans and the Americans, were more than intense. Very often, the scope of this network extends to the Balkans, to Eastern and even to a part of Central Europe. Especially regarding relations between Orthodox and Muslims, the relevant evidence demonstrates the musical exchanges between them and elucidate an ecumene where everyone contributed to the great musical “melting-pot”, and where everyone may draw from it, as well as redeposit it, in a new form, with a reformulated text and its meaning, with sometimes clear and sometimes blurred references to its pre-text, until someone else pulls it out again, through the “melting-pot”, so that it becomes clear that there is no end in this recreational and dynamic process where fluidity prevails. A case that comes from such repertoires is this recording.

Starting from the Turkish-speaking repertoire, it is worth noting that the tune was recorded four times with three different titles by three Greek singers:

– “Aptal chavasi - tetrachordon”, Lefteris Menemenlis [Beslemedakis], Smyrna (Izmir), June 1912 (Favorite 7054t – 1-55043 and reissue Columbia USA E6128)
– “Aptaliko”, Antonis Ntalgkas (Diamantidis), Athens, 1926 (His Master’s Voice BJ-241 – AO-166)
– “Evleri”, Lefteris Menemenlis [Beslemedakis], Athens, 1927 (Columbia UK 20036 – 8010)
– “Aptal, havassi”, Achilleas Poulos, New York, November 8, 1927 (Victor CVE-40551 – 59039, 7-59039 & 32-59039)

In the Turkish historical discography the tune, in orchestral form, was recorded by Şükrü Tunar in 1937 in Istanbul (Odeon 270154) under the title “Kordon Zeybeği”. The Turkish clarinetist between 1955-1961 re-recorded the tune with his orchestra, probably in Istanbul, under the title “İzmir Kordon Zeybeği” on behalf of the Nina label (LP “Keyif in Istanbul”, Nina L-82). The tune was also recorded by Maraşlı Trompet Ramazan in Istanbul in 1939 under the title “Kordon Zeybeği” (Columbia 17587).

It should be noted that in the record catalogs other Turkish recordings have been found which may be related to the song in question. However, no audio material of them has so far been found. For example:

– “İzmir Kordon Zeybeği”, Kemani Haydar Tatlıyay, Istanbul 1931 (Odeon 202800)
– “İzmir Kordon Zeybeği”, İzmirli Santuri Recep, Kemani Cemal ve Mustafa, Istanbul 1932 (Sahibinin Sesi AX 1610)

In the Greek-speaking discography the tune, either as an orchestral piece or in the form of a song, can be found in the following recordings:

– “Zeimpekiko aptaliko”, Popular orchestra, Athens, June 1928 (His Master’s Voice BF-1663 – AO-256), this recording
– “Aptal chavasi”, Kostas Papagkikas Greek Orchestra, New York, August 15, 1928 (Okeh W 81230 – 82508)
– “Aptal chavasi”, Antonis Sakellariou (clarinet) and instrumental trio, New York, October 9, 1928 (Victor CVE-47724 – V-58004, 38-3066, Orthophonic S-684)
– “Aptaliko”, Giannis Dragatsis or Ogdontakis (violin), Athens, 1929 (Columbia UK 20702 – 18076 and reissue Columbia USA 294199-2 – 56212-F)
– “Karsi yaka souk suyu”, Popular Turkish Orchestra, Kostas Gkantinis (clarinet), New York, Devember 27, 1939 (RCA Victor BS 046131 – 26-2014 και Victor V-26034)
– “Aptal chavasi”, G. Papas (clarinet), D. Nikos [Nick Doneff] (violin), Marko Melkon Alemsherian (oud), dumbek (unknown), USA, probably 1947 (Kaliphon D-767-A)
– “Dyo omorfes stin Kokkinia”, I. Tzivanis – Ntouo Stampoul, Athens, May 20, 1954 (Columbia CG-3145 – DG 7082)
– “An pernas ki an den pernas”, Roza Eskenazy, Istanbul, 1954 (Standard GR-668 – F-9129)
– “Dyo omorfes sti Kokkinia”, Thodoris Kavourakis – A. Palagoudi, USA, 1955 (Kalos Diskos 322-Α)

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis