The Tunes of Ottoman Diaspora in the USA - 8th Avenue Scene and Beyond

With Mustafa Avcı, Larissa Araz, Ian Nagoski, moderated by Can Sungu

As the Ottoman Empire came to an end and particularly non-Muslim communities were subjected to genocide, displacement, and discrimination, many were forced to migrate and leave their homeland of Anatolia. Upon arriving in the port of New York, a large diaspora community formed, consisting of Greeks, Armenians, Sephardic Jews, and Arabs. They gathered in so-called Café Amans, where people met over ouzo, wine, and modest meze.

Primarily along 8th Avenue, a hybrid musical scene developed that functioned like a late utopia of peaceful coexistence, celebrating the memory of a multi-ethnic and multilingual Anatolia. People sang in Turkish, Greek, Armenian, and Arabic; urban musical forms of the lost homeland such as kanto, gazel, çiftetelli, and rebetiko merged with influences from jazz and American popular entertainment. Instruments included the oud, kanun, clarinet, violin, and darbuka, and dancers from overseas were also invited to perform. The music was released on shellac records, which became highly popular within the community. Despite the toxic influence of rising nationalisms, the scene also shaped the second generation and continued into the 1960s in clubs such as “Port Said,” “Ali Baba,” and “Egyptian Gardens”.

This conversation brings together researchers and artists to delve into the history of this unique phenomenon and to make it tangible through musical examples and storytelling.