The Istanbul Street Musician at Hıdrellez, Ahırkapı
At some point during an Ahırkapı Hıdrellez night, I noticed that this Istanbul street musician at Hıdrellez seemed completely inside the music. The crowd was thick, the hour was late, and I had no idea how long he had already been playing. Still, every breath into the zurna made the people around him move a little more with the night.
Hıdrellez is a spring celebration that welcomes the awakening of nature and the hope of renewal. In Ahırkapı, it filled the street with music, people and the feeling that everyone had come out to greet a new season together. That is why this Istanbul street musician at Hıdrellez feels like more than a performer in the photograph. He carries a piece of the night itself.
He does not look tired to me. There is a cigarette resting in his hand between songs, a small pause before he carries on. He gives pleasure, receives it back, and then plays some more.
I cannot remember whether this was 2015 or 2016. What I remember is the warmth of Ahırkapı, the packed street and this face caught in a quiet second between notes. It is a small portrait from a noisy night, but it still carries the feeling of someone doing what he loves. Bless your breath.
BE
