Bandleader and composer Sam Dechenne wrote this piece for a wedding that Cocek! Brass Band performed in 2016. The Turkish couple had their wedding on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA on a late Summer's eve. The song is written loosely in the style of a Turkish Halay, popularly played at weddings in Turkey.

Each month in 2018 Cocek! Brass Band is releasing a new song with different artist and musician collaborations. For March they worked with local poster designer (and tuba sub in Cocek) Josiah Reibstein. Below are his thoughts on the music and picture he created.

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Artist Statement:
When illustrating Sam’s song “Turkish Wedding,” I wanted to achieve the sense of warm, whimsical emotion that is so expertly conveyed through the traditional-inspired melody. Though the area has had it’s fair share of political violence over the years, my aim was to present a portrait of peace against the backdrop of a city often consumed by conflict.

For the drawing’s inspiration, I took from two of my favorite artists: Gustav Klimt and Bill Watterson. Klimt, known for his portraits of lovers that bordered on the surreal and abstract, and Watterson, whose wholesome and magical Calvin and Hobbes comic strip shaped my childhood.

Echoing Klimt, I wanted to make the Bride’s dress the focal point of the drawing. As in his famous “The Kiss,” the dress extends well beyond its normal length and almost consumes part of the picture. I did my best to hint at his gold-leaf intricately patterned style with blue and silver swirls on the dress that later begin interacting with the musicians below. Klimt always achieved a genuine sense of love from his couples, and I hoped to bring that out in my Bride and Groom.

Keeping the warm, wholesome theme of the image, I drew from my many hours perusing Calvin and Hobbes as a child and also an adult. Watterson was always able to convey the most varied and expressive emotions from the faces of his characters, often using only the simplest designs and hints. He was also a master of color, outline, and “splash panels” (full page scenes, often of detailed landscapes). Hopefully my drawing partly conveys the happiness and love of simplicity I felt while first reading Calvin and Hobbes.

Having played many weddings as a musician, I can sympathize with the somewhat hectic nature of working a major life event for two people. Cocek Brass Band, in black at the bottom entertaining the guests for the ceremony, remain professional and committed to their gig, playing passionately though out of view. Their music, while not the focus of the scene, is inextricably linked with everyone there - the arcs of their riffs meld with the patterns of the dress, stretching up to the roses, the guests, the arbor and city beyond, and the rays of sun that overlook us all.

Josiah Reibstein Biography:

Josiah Reibstein is a professional free-lance tubist, teacher and poster designer living in Somerville, MA. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, he has been working with a variety of ensembles in the Northeast including his ensemble, The Josiah Reibstein Quintet, for which he composes all the music. He is also the Resident Poster Artist for Aeronaut Brewery in Somerville, MA.

Find him on Instagram: josiahreibsteinposters