Omar Faruk Tekbilek was born in 1951 in Adana, Turkey to a musical family who nurtured his precocious talents. At the age of eight he…
Artist Profiles: Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Tag: Turkish music
Artist Profiles: Okay Temiz
Okay Temiz was born in 1939 near Istanbul, Turkey. His family moved to Ankara, where he grew up. Temiz studied drumms and percussion at…
Artist Profiles: Neva Ozgen
Kemenche player Neva Ozgen made history with the first solo instrumental recording by a female artist in the Turkish classical music world. On her debut…
Impeccable and Spellbinding Performances by Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Omar Faruk Tekbilek – Love Is My Religion (Alif Records, 2017) Love Is My Religion out on the Alif Records label, the latest offering by…
Artist Profiles: Mercan Dede
World Beat musician and producer Arkin Ilicali, better known as Mercan Dede, cleverly fuses the Eastern spiritual traditions of Sufi music with the contemporary sounds…
Artist Profiles: Latif Bolat
Latif Bolat is one of the most distinguished Turkish musicians in the US. With a vast repertory that includes songs in classical folk and Sufi…
Artist Profiles: Kardes Turkuler
Kardeş Turkuler (Songs of Fraternity) came into being in 1993 as a concert project by the Boğazici University Folklore Club. The concert which aimed to…
Artist Profiles: Istanbul Oriental Ensemble
The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble led by percussionist, vocalist and string player Burhan Ocal includes a number of Turkey’s leading Gypsy musicians who are dedicated to…
Artist Profiles: Istanbul music and Sema Group
The Istanbul Music and Sema (Whirling Ceremony) Group was founded by R. Hakan Talu Serhat Sarpel and Nadir Karnibuyukler in order to share two of…
Artist profiles: Incesaz
Incesaz’s music has the full taste of the classical. The “makam” (the melodic texture) and “usül” (traditional rhythmic patterns) the instruments style and the way…