The Rhythm Divine

"Music is the language of God", says Omar Faruk Tekbilek. "It is language without tongue and lips. It speaks from heart to heart." Turkish musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek is a world music superstar, and yet he humbly calls himself a servant of God, and a faithful Sufi seeking divine union. Omar learned Sufism as a boy growing up in Turkey and for a number of years he undertook formal studies with a view to becoming a cleric. Music though was his first love and in time his religious schooling gave way to a life devoted to the study of Turkish classical music. Since then Omar has become a world-renowned musician mastering several instruments including the ney, the bamboo flute associated with Sufism. While in Istanbul, Omar met the Mevlevi order of Sufis, known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes. He didn't join the order, but studied with the head Neyzen (ney player), Aka Gunduz Kutbay, who became a major inspiration.

According to Omar, the sound of the ney is the cry of the human soul separated from God. His life-long quest has been to heal that division, and he tells me about his life in music this week.

Further Information

Omar Faruk Tekbilek's Homepage
Omar Faruk Tekbilek is one of the world's foremost exponents of Middle Eastern music. A multi-instrumentalist par excellence, he has collaborated with a number of leading musicians of international repute such as jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, keyboard player Karl Berger, ex-Cream rock drummer Ginger Baker, Ofra Haza, Simon Shaheen, Hossam Ramzy, Glen Velez, Bill Laswell, Mike Mainieri, Peter Erskine, Trilok Gurtu, Jai Uttal and Steve Shehan among others. He has contributed to numerous film and TV scores and to many recordings including world sacred music albums, and has been touring extensively throughout the Middle East, Europe, Australia, North and South America. He is a devout Sufi.

BBC Religion & Ethics - Sufism
Sufism, or Tasawwuf as it is known in the Muslim world, is a form of Islamic mysticism.

Australian Centre for Sufism and Irfanic Studies
A non-profit organisation established in Australia in 1999 for the purpose of raising the awareness of people to the presence of God in day to day life using the teachings of Sufism/Irfan.

Sufi Dervishes of Turkey
Imagine a room full of men, standing quietly, dressed in tall white conical headdresses, each with a long black cloak over white robes reaching to the ground. Their arms are crosswise over their chests, the symbol of One God, Allah. Slowly their arms unwind, the right hand points to the sky, the left down to the ground, and the men begin to revolve...Read a transcript and music details from this edition of the Rhythm Divine broadcast on 23 February 2005. (Audio now unavailable, sorry).

Music

CD title: Mystical Garden
Track title: Hasret
Artist: Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Composer: Omar Faruk Tekbilek
CD details: Celestial Harmonies 13092 2
URL: http://www.harmonies.com/releases/13092.htm

CD title: Mystical Garden
Track title: Mystical Garden
Artist: Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Composer: Omar Faruk Tekbilek
CD details: Celestial Harmonies 13092 2

CD title: Mystical Garden
Track title: Hu Allah
Artist: Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Composer: Omar Faruk Tekbilek
CD details: Celestial Harmonies 13092 2

CD title: Tree of Patience
Track title: Why
Artist: Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Composer: H. Issakut
CD details: White Swan records WS 0071
URL: http://www.whiteswanrecords.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/product_id/240

Presenter

Geoff Wood

Producer

Geoff Wood