‘I want to give the listener a different experience each time’

Interview with Sanem Kalfa

During her 18-year tenure in Amsterdam, the Turkish-born, Dutch-passport-carrying Kalfa has performed and recorded solo, in duos, trios, and quartets bearing her name, and as a side woman in numerous groups and projects, both nationally and internationally based. With her impressive vocal range, she connects western and eastern musical traditions, with improvisation being the thread that connects all of her output. When we meet in Amsterdam in late summer, Sanem hands me a vinyl copy of her album, If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?, together with a little pen-and-ink drawing she made.

‘The other day someone asked me which genre my solo album belongs to’, she says. ‘Like, what section of the record store? I don’t know. We can’t really call it something. Maybe it’s enough that people know it’s released on Ingebrigt’s label. That says something already.’

A solo album that happened along the way

What do you want people to know about you?

‘I would like them to know I have a pretty wide imagination about music. I don’t want to be put in one box. I like giving people different textures, different feelings, and I really appreciate it when they enjoy the variety.’

‘With collaborations, I usually like to bring something new for everyone. I love the intimacy of working together – that’s a big part of me. When people give me trust and assignments, I realize how wide my creative side is. I like to compose, to imagine things and put them there and then have people jump in. Sure, I have a certain sound and personality like everybody else, but I also like to get into different places. I like people to enjoy the ride with me and feel safe. And, you know, I draw too – one day I really hope to have an exhibition with my drawings.’

How does your solo album fit in the bigger picture of your work?

‘I didn’t plan it like, “I’m going to record a solo album and then release it.” It happened along the way. For years, I wanted to do a solo project but I didn’t know how. The question was where to start, like with writing an essay: which sentence do you write first?

‘The thought process gave me comfort. It’s just me by myself. As a vocalist and musician, I’m always searching for what can pour out of me, how I can be present. Only voice, sometimes with effects – being comfortable with only my voice opened space for other elements to come in. And then without any plan I thought: “Okay, I’ll start”. I wrote to Tim Sprangers, who organizes Space Is The Place: “I have no repertoire, but I want to perform.” And Tim gave me a stage. That concert became my deadline. Out of that came the songs, and people started to hear about the project. Then I thought it would be nice to record it.’

Needing compassion

You were in the studio with Alistair Payne, back in 2022.

‘In the beginning Alistair wasn’t exactly a producer, but more of an engineer. I wanted to record with him because I love him as a person and as an artist. I feel very comfortable with him. Then, we spent a lot of time together finding the right sound. His input was beautiful, it really added something to the album.’

‘Recording is not really something I enjoy, because I become so conscious of everything. Live, I could play songs many times and you wouldn’t even notice they are the same songs. And at the time it was difficult for me – physically and mentally. I had knee surgeries, I was on crutches, my father was not well. Listening back, I judged my own emotions. I didn’t feel like shopping the album around to labels. I didn’t even know if it was valuable to others. So after recording I put it aside. Later Ingebrigt, who I play with, asked to hear it. He was so happy, so enthusiastic. I didn’t expect that, with all of the emotional changes in the music. But he thought it was fresh and creative. I needed that compassion, and he gave it to me and he wanted to release the album on his label Sonic Transmissions. Then we just did it. He asked John Herndon in LA to make the artwork, and it couldn’t be a better combination.’

Did Herndon get inspiration from the music?

‘I made a video for him, I didn’t want to just write an email. I wanted him to know me, to hear my explanations of the songs. He came up with this beautiful cover, with all these layers of the sky, so many shapes. It expresses so many things from the album. I love to look at it.’

Growing up in Turkey

No matter if it is the Black Sea songs or Miraculous Layers, or the outrageous sounds of Televizyon, your heritage shines through in your music. How do you look at that?

‘Culture for me is just how I grew up. I’m from Trabzon in Turkey, and Turkish culture is like jazz nowadays – there’s not one direction, not one dimension. I didn’t come from an artist family, or a family that talked a lot about music. But the music is everywhere. You walk on the street, you hear it. You can’t avoid it. I left my city pretty early, but if you go to Trabzon, everybody knows how to dance the traditional way. It’s just part of life. That’s my childhood.’

‘My sister had this super cool car, one of the few women driving in Trabzon back then. We would drive, and I would play the radio – Turkish pop of the 90s, or Black Sea songs that were always on. I would sing along, make a second voice, harmonize in my head. Those memories are very strong. I love them. I love my heritage. And living in the Netherlands… Dutch culture is also part of my culture now. I’ve been here since I was 25. But culture is complicated, right? It’s not just nationality. I grew up in Turkey and The Netherlands shaped me, musically and personally.’

All these different textures

Did you ever write pop songs yourself?

‘Of course! My very first song I even translated into English. I was 14, wrote it in Turkish, and then I was taking English lessons so I translated it. It’s terrible. Shall I sing it? Maybe not, haha. But yes, Turkish pop in the late 80s, 90s – the best! Back then it was so new. Now when I listen to Turkish radio I get a headache, everything sounds the same. Back then I loved Sertab Erener, Sezen Aksu, Sibel Alaş, Burcu Güneş, Tarkan, Kenan Doğulu.’

You started studying the cello.

‘I started playing cello in high school when I was 14. I saw the cello in a book before, I had never heard of the sound of the instrument specifically, and wouldn’t be able to recognize the sound. When we were picking the instruments, I just strongly felt that I wanted to play cello, but the teachers looked at my nails, and tried to convince me to play the flute or bağlama instead. I insisted, fell in love with it and never regretted it. Although I wish I had chosen flute sometimes – I’ve had so much back pain from carrying that cello everywhere. I remember the crazy distances in a big city like Ankara, with public transport always packed.’

‘When I came to The Netherlands, to Groningen… I was a bit confused, really. I was just singing the songs that I loved. And I met all of a sudden all these different textures. I had studied classical music, unfamiliar to me at first after coming from a non-musical environment, and then I came to the Netherlands to study jazz – but I didn’t know much jazz either. I had to listen to all the names everybody knows, the records, the musicians. I didn’t grow up with it, and that gave me a certain anxiety. So I was listening to what people were talking about, trying to catch as much as I could. Intimidating, yes. But I loved singing. That was always my motivation.’

Televizyon and Miraculous Layers

Televizyon — what’s behind that project?

‘The idea comes from my childhood, from that period when the second TV channel appeared and suddenly there were commercials. That was such a shift for us. With Televizyon (inJazz 2024), we want to create that feeling of flipping through channels. Different textures, different worlds, but still somehow connected. The mix of improvisation and composition is what makes it come to life. I always wanted to jump, get lost in dancing on the stage, that was the dream from the beginning. And now I do with Televizyon, and it makes me so happy.’

‘I always wanted to jump, get lost in dancing on the stage, that was the dream from the beginning. And now I do with Televizyon, and it makes me so happy.’

Miraculous Layers has a very different vibe.

‘Miraculous Layers (inJazz 2023) is more about intimacy, and about bringing people together with this intimacy. In general, I go for being very sincere and open about emotions and expressing them. With both Televizyon and Miraculous Layers you see this, but in very different textures. With Miraculous Layers, we draw the listener in very face-to-face, with lots of vulnerability and compassion. With Televizyon it’s still intimate but at the same time explosive and expressive.’

Improvisation, does it always feel the same? Do you ever ask yourself where will it go?

‘To be honest, I’m the kind of person who is afraid to rehearse too much. Of course, music needs to be rehearsed, but for example with Televizyon, we only go through the theme. That’s it. We don’t play the whole song in rehearsal. I want it to stay fresh, to give the listener a different experience each time. That’s all based on an idea of improvisation that is meaningful and spoken when I really mean it. That’s my goal. On stage, you discover things.’

Feeling free

How do you feel about being a soloist versus a side woman?

‘I love both. Being a soloist gives me freedom, but being a side woman can be joyful too. To perform the music of other artists is another way of understanding them, which is precious.’

Does it ever nót work out, with a new group or collaboration?

‘Yes. Sometimes your friends aren’t each other’s friends. That energy can block the music. As a leader I want to feel comfortable, and I feel responsible that the environment is comfortable. On stage, everyone should feel free and be truly themselves and feel comfortable being part of the music and creating together.’

Any last observations on the Dutch scene?

‘People are curious. They listen carefully, they don’t take things for granted. That challenges me, because I like to push textures, push boundaries. I want the audience to come along, not just hear, but feel, be part of my music emotionally.’

‘The jazz scene here is incredible. I go to concerts not just to support friends, but to be inspired. I want to be moved. Every concert I go to, I think: something for sure moves me. We’re a bit spoiled, honestly, with the creativity here. You hear so many different voices, approaches, ideas. Very inspiring It pushes me. Which feels also natural to me. It’s all inside me.’

‘My phrasing, my melodies, the rhythm – they come from everything I’ve heard, everything I’ve lived.’

‘My phrasing, my melodies, the rhythm – they come from everything I’ve heard, everything I’ve lived. It’s all me. And that’s what I hope people hear when they listen, that it’s a full picture of my imagination, my heritage, my experience.’

Website: sanemkalfa.com

Text by Mark van Schaick
Photos by Federico Castelli