November 1997

Orhan Demir
Originals
Hittite Records

By Jim Ferguson

Born in Turkey, this Canadian guitarist leads his capable quartet through a set of 14 originals. Possessing phenomenal single-note technique, Demir plays with a decidedly Middle Eastern perspective that at times seems to originate more from the oud than the guitar. Nevertheless, his highly idiosyncratic white-knuckle improvisations, which occasionally recall the great Django Reinhardt at his most frantic, are apt to leave you breathless.