I am a chick from Pittsburgh who spent many years living in rural Western PA with a single mom, a much older sister and my close younger brother. I used to have a vivid imagination and I read tons of books (still do). I was a Barbie fanatic and loved playing Hot Wheels as well.

I started clarinet and snare drum at age 10. My mom wanted me to play flute cause it was "pretty", but the Volkwein's music store guy said I needed to play clarinet. Probably because he didn't have any flutes that day. I played the same clarinet until I was 16 when I got an antique Buffet clarinet with the sweetest sound. I was one of the best players in my school bands. I played clarinet in Somerset County Band from 83-87, District 6 Band from 86-87, and Region 3 Band from 86-87. For 4 years I was in Allegheny Heartland Regional Band sponsored by NBC affiliate WJAC in Johnstown. I was in Pennsylvania State Lions Band for 4 summers playing clarinet and crash cymbals. I also played snare drum for 12 years in an all girl fife, drum and bagpipe marching corp called the Tam O Shanters.

I have travelled extensively because of my band background. Canada, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri and Taipei, Taiwan.

I never took a private lesson: all my musical training came from public school and my own hard work. I would sometimes march in a parade with one group then change uniforms and march the same parade with another group.

After graduating college I stopped playing for a over a decade because I didn't know with whom I could play music. I was not a professionally trained musician.

In 2001, I discovered bellydance music. And since then, I have been playing music from the Mediterranean exclusively. In 2006, I formed the band Ishtar which is a 4 piece band at this point. Means we all fit in one car. :-)

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel or fuse 15 ethnic backgrounds together into one song. I believe that all the best stuff has already been written and that until I learn every song out there, I see no need to make any effort to compose anything of my own. I enjoy my improvisational taksims.

I think it is difficult being an outspoken woman who plays this kind of music. The real ethnic musicians are men and the dancers are almost always women. In addition, I am technically playing a band instrument which seems to get me skipped over as well. Around the ethnic people, I am novelty; around Americans, I am a chick band dork who is hanging onto a style of dance music that is from yesterday.

But I find that there are more people out there who actually like what I do than those who don't. Thanks! Your kind words are always appreciated.

My klarnet kharamanler (heroes in Turkish) are Selim Sesler, Husnu Senlendirici, Mustafa Kandirali, Gus Vali, Ferdi Nedaz, Ismail Lumanovski, Sukru Tunar, Souren Baronian, and George Stathos.

--- February 15, 2007 -- AARON JENTZEN -- Pittsburgh City Paper


Live review: Ishtar and Mandrake Project

Belly-dancing music rules.

Mandrake Project has to be the only band in Club Café's history to cram seven members and two full drum kits onto the tiny stage. Which meant last Saturday's show was something I had to see. Mandrake's long, late-night set started with a bang and ended with a final, crushing crescendo as Rick Nelson shredded on a viola and violin simultaneously. The low-key jazzier numbers in the middle of the set seemed to kill some of the momentum (no reflection upon accomplished saxophonist Darnell Anderson), though with another drink or two in me I wouldn't have minded.

The real surprise, though, was opener Ishtar: Belly-dancing music rules. Even though patrons seemed to assume it was just background music, the quartet and the two sinuous belly-dancers created a heady atmosphere that eventually ensnared the chatty crowd. Accompanied by doumbek and other percussion, Melissa Murphey's clarinet and Jeff Chmielarski's fretless bass wove intricate modal patterns from the exotic time signatures and melodies. Catch Ishtar this week at Zenith Café's Sunday brunch, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Feb. 18.

"Belly-dancing music rules." -- Aaron Jentzen - Pittsburgh City Paper

"Live each day like you are already dead"

"I wonder if being sane means disregarding the chaos that is life, pretending only an infinitesimal segment of it is reality."

"...it's no good pretending that any relationship has a future if your record collections disagree violently, or if your favorite films wouldn't even speak to each other if they met at a party." --Hi Fidelity movie

"You never get over it. But you get to where it doesn't bother you so much." ---Virgin Suicides

"Say something surreal."

"In most cases, the best strategy for a job interview is to be fairly honest, because the worst thing that can happen is that you won't get the job and will spend the rest of your life foraging for food in the wilderness and seeking shelter underneath a tree or the awning of a bowling alley that has gone out of business,..." - Lemony Snicket

"Life is an illusion, might as well make it a good one." - The Jody Grind

"Love is hard to believe, just ask any lover." -- Yann Martel 'Life of Pi'

"I love you has 8 letters, so does bullshit." -- unknown

"D hijaz does not equal D minor." -- me

This is my setlist. Sheet music for almost all of these songs can be found on www.dorku.com.

A Nadda -- G Hijaz -- Saidi
Ani Vata -- C Nahawand -- saidi
Ah Bir Atas Ver -- D Hicaz-- played in 10 with chiftitelli taksim (and change to C hijaz)
Ay Linda Amiga -- masmoudi
Ayazein --- D hijaz -- ayoob
Aziza --- D Kurd
Bir Demet Yasemin-- G Nihavent -- maqsum
Enta Omri --- D Kurd --- egyptian chiftitelli
Fire Dance --D hicazkar -- maqsum and masmoudi
Garoon Garoon-- G Nihavent/nahawand-- ayoob and maqsum
Hadouni Hadouni-- D Bayati -- saidi
Hicaz Mandira-- D Hijaz -- laz 7 (2-2-3)
Ishte Hendek-- G Bayati (w/microtone sharper) --saidi-ish
Istanbuld'an Goruntuler-- D hijaz -- half speed malfuf
Istemem Babacim-- G Bayati/Ussak -- malfuf
Lamma Bada -- G Nahawand -- semai
Leyla-- D hijaz -- maqsum with breaks
Mevlana -- D Hicazkar -- relaxed chiftitelli
Misirlou-- D Hijaz -- bolero
Nassam Alayna Al Hawa -- A Kurd -- saidi and malfuf
Nihavent Longa -- C Nihavent -- malfuf
Nihavent Oriental-- A Nihavent --valz and bolero
Nihavent Oyun Havasi-- D nihavent -- chiftitelli (140bpm)
Noladati La Shalom -- D Nahawand -- malfuf
Nubar Nubar -- G Nahawand - curcunna
Rompi Rompi-- D hijaz -- karsilama
Rumelaj -- A --maqsum
Rumeli Karsilamasi-- A Kurd -- karsilama
Shashkin -- D Bayati -- saidi variant (tkD tkD Dtk Ttk) and malfuf
Shisheler -- G Bayati -- ayoob and malfuf
Sulukule -- D Hijaz -- karsilama with breaks
Uskudara -- G Nihavent --ayoob and masqum
Yeshilem -- D hijaz -- ayoob and maqsum
Zeina -- D Hijaz -- baladi and ayoob