Jazz Days come to Istanbul

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Akbank Jazz Days will start with the Erman Dirikcan Trio on June 11.

Akbank Jazz Days have begun with the Erman Dirikcan Trio, which will take the stage on June 11 on the Akbank Sanat stage.

The yearly jazz event will also include the Uraz Kıvaner Quartet on June 18 and the Tord Gustavsen Quartet on June 22, while Caecilie Norby and Lars Danielsson will also perform on June 25.

Dirikcan earned his bachelor’s degree with a full scholarship, double-majoring in jazz performance and composition at Istanbul Bilgi University, where he also studied the fretless guitar with Erkan Oğur, the inventor of the instrument.

During a spell in the Netherlands, Dirikcan had the opportunity to attend major international jazz festivals, performing with Maria Schneider, Rick Margitza, Carlos Werneck, Billy Hart, Cyro Baptista, Ilja Reingoud and Nelson Faria, among others. He regularly took part in fusion and contemporary music projects with influences varying from Jazz, Latin and Balkan, to Turkish and Indian Music. He also continued to lead his own band, performing his original compositions, which earned him the Erasmus Jazz Prijs finalist and Prix Du Port semi-finalist positions.

Dirikcan has participated in Jazz International Rotterdam, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Amersfoort Festival, the Turkey Now Festival, Jazz Dag and the Mechelen Jazz Festival, in addition to performing at several other radio shows, clubs and venues with his band.

“Forces at Work,” Dirikcan’s first album, which consisted of his original compositions, was released by DAM Records in April 2012. The album was promoted through two performances by Dirikcan featuring world-renowned artist and the artist’s biggest influence, Aydın Esen, on keyboards and live electronics at Bimhuis in Amsterdam and at Lantaren Venster in Rotterdam.