Erkan Oğur, Turkish jazz artist, released new album in September 4

Erkan Oğur, a Turkish jazz artist, released his new album in September. Album's name is "Kimse Kalmadı", meaning "no one left". This is the first jazz arrangement in the Turkish music including an extinct Turkish folk music instrument, kopuz. Erkan Oğur on the kopuz, an the oldest, extinct Turkish folk instrument, Can Çankaya on the piano, Turgut Alp Bekoğlu on the drums and Matt Hall on the contrabass, released a fine jazz album, containing six songs. First three songs in the album are rearranged Turkish folk songs which are extended.

Jazz elements are added to these songs such that microtones and oriental mood of the songs are accompanied with similar chord progressions and skilled improvisations. The next three songs are originals of the musicians, where kopuz, piano, drums and contrabass swings skillfully. Unlike the other three songs, the melody and harmony is more independent from the Turkish folk music, even though the kopuz is included to the pieces no more less. Oğur's album is simply a sheer effort to piece together pure Turkish music culture -more or less different than Turkish folk music- and jazz music. Have fun!