BURHAN ÖÇAL
Turkish music specialist Burhan
Öçal has made the bridging of musical cultures his central
mission. A native of Kirklareli, near Istanbul, he grew up in a musical
family. From his father, he learned a variety of percussion instruments,
while his mother introduced him to religious vocal music. After his first
contact with Western music, he became interested in combining other genres
and cultural traditions, such as jazz and Western classical music, with
his own.
Burhan Öçal’s
instruments are as diverse as his music. In addition to a wide variety
of percussion, such as the Darbuka (a vase-shaped drum played with the
fingers), Kös (kettle drum), Kudüm and Bendi, he is a highly
skilled player on a number of stringed instruments, including the Divan-Saz,
Tanbur and Oud. His expressive voice adds to the spectrum of musical elements
at his command.
Since 1977, Burhan Öçal
has divided his time between Istanbul and Zurich, Switzerland. He has become
widely known for touring and recording with his Oriental Ensemble, which
performs traditional gypsy and Turkish folk music. Seeking out a range
of world-class collaborators, he has also performed with Maria Joao Pires,
keyboard specialist Joe Zawinul and, more recently, guitarist Eliot Fisk.
He appears regularly with his own jazz band, the Burhan Öçal
Group, and as a guest artist with George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band from
Switzerland. His newest projects including the formation of the duo with
the remarkable Australian pianist Peter Waters and, his most unusual venture,
the creation of a Oriental/Funk/Hip-Hop band with the American bass players
Jamaladeen Tacuma.
Burhan Öçal made
his U.S. debut in February 1998 joining Eliot Fisk for performances and
a residency at USC in Los Angeles. Shortly thereafter, he returned to North
America on tour with George Gruntz Band, performing at the Montreal Jazz
Festival, in Vancouver, at the Ravinia Festival, and at the Knitting Factory
in New York City. Other highlights of his recent engagements have included
two performances with the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble at 1998 WOMAD Festival
(U.K.) and three performances with the Ensemble at EXPO’ 98 in Lisbon.
He also gave a solo performance in London at the Royal Festival Hall’s
Percussion Festival
(Rhythm Sticks’98).
Burhan Öçal
has an extensive discography with several award-winning recordings.
His first disc with Oriental Ensemble (Gypsy Rum) won the 1995 German Record
Critic’s Award. He also received the Prix Choc in 1996 for his solo disc
titled “Ottoman Garden,”
Turkish classical music of
the 17th century (Harmonia Mundi). Burhan Öçal has also
begun a series of recordings devoted to Turkish folk music on Soundways.
|