Eclectic Ensemble Weaves Together the Music and Dance of Turkey and Spain

iST-West Flamenco FusionFlamenco meets the Turkish Saz in this exciting new band! L.A. native and longtime Turkey visitor Nyofu Tyson, a saz master, met Bulgarian flamenco guitarist Bobby Solakov and singer Cristobal Osorio from Sevilla in early 2007, when the three of them were participants in the Cuatro Caminos Flamenco production “Viaje Mediterraneo por Flamenco.”

The line-up for this concert includes:

Nyofu, with an extensive background in jazz and Turkish music, had long wanted to fuse the saz and Turkish melodies with flamenco, and that idea clicked with Bobby and Cristobal. They started by creating a Spanish remake of the 90’s Turkish pop hit “At Gitsin,” now called “Dejala” and went on to record a 4 Song EP produced by Josef Blocker. Since their successful live debut at the legendary Temple Bar, iST/West has performed to enthusiastic audiences at World Festival of Sacred Music and the Levantine Cultural Center, featuring a variety of vocalists and dancers.

Nyofu Tyson: fuses saz with Spanish guitar for a great soundTheir repertoire draws on Nyofu and Bobby's vast musical backgrounds, going seamlessly from Turkish covers to fusion originals, from belly dancing into straight-up Flamenco. This blend is reflected in their name; iST (pronounced "east") is for Istanbul, a city where various cultures have met each other through the millennia. Look for iST/West to make its voice heard in the world of Flamenco Fusion!

Listen to the music!