OKAY TEMIZ, Turkish born Fusion artist

CONCERT IN ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM :

OKAY TEMIZ MAGNETIC BAND

"Okay Temiz is een genre op zichzelf. Hij is één van de weinige Turkse jazz muzikanten die een eigen stijl ontwikkelde vanuit de Turkse volksmuziek, met haar authentieke instrumenten. Toen Okay Temiz in de jaren '60 naar Zweden verhuisde zette hij de combinatie tussen jazz en Turkse volksmuziek, doorspekt met Afrikaanse en Zuid-Amerikaanse ritmes, verder. Doorheen de jaren verzamelde Temiz meer en meer ethnische percussie-instrumenten, om te integreren in zijn muziek. Enkele jaren geleden vormde hij in Finland zijn huidige begeleidingsband: The Magnetic Band. Samen met hen zet hij zijn fusieproject een stapje verder."

"Okay Temiz stands in a class of his own. Born in Turkey, he is one of the few jazz musicians who combines the traditional sounds of Turkish instruments with Western jazz improvisation, all spiced with dozens of African and South American rhythms."

"Okay Temiz est lui-même un genre musical. Il est un des rares musiciens de jazz qui s'intéresse à la musique traditionelle turque. Il la combine avec des rythmes d'Amérique du Sud et d'Afrique. Un mélange extra-ordinairement surprenant. "

Review of Magnetic Band release on http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/Turkprogreview2.html

interview 2002-11-02 can be read at the next interview txt.file

other interview at http://www.nscottrobinson.com/temiz.php

Okay Temiz is the most important and first fusion jazz artist from Turkey. I saw him live. He's very talented, but modest in a way as well. His style nowadays has adaptations from ethnical sources from all over the world, but he also adapted jazz and even free jazz style into its most pure essence. Most albums I heard were fine, but non of these are over the top from start to end. Okay himself found "Green Wave" a fine introduction for his own music. I had a very interesting interview with him. It's linked as text file at the end.

I have his item "Zikir" from 1979. It is an ethnojazz which has very good moments and is good overall. Zikir is Okay Temiz with Aka Gündüz, Tuna Ötenel, D.D.Gouirand, Onno Tunç. Here he used the Double-string electric berimbau. This instrument featured the addition of separate microphones and signal processors for the string, gourd and caxixi. His technique involved using as many as nine signal processors simultaneously in conjunction with a free-hand grip, which allowed the left hand to slide the coin farther up and down the string, producing many more than the traditional two pitches. By amplifying each part of the berimbau, Temiz could exploit other possibilities, such as tapping on the gourd with the coin, fingers and stick, successfully producing traditional Turkish rhythm. The effect of it is tremendous.

Web page with the Zikir item at http://www.acd.org.tr/tc-a-zikir.html.

Soundfiles "Zikir" : "Mus", "Kabak Tatlisi", "Zikir", "Cay Elinden",

" Demek Istiyorum Ki... (Ferahfeza)", "Ege", "Dolunay"

Other audiotrack : "Denizalti Ruzgarlari"

I also have "Green Wave" from 1992. And I heard various other items. Most of his items have much potentional without exploring very deeply into more individuality ; it is however fusing anything (traditional rhythms and the free spirit / open structures of jazz) from all over the world.

Live is surely is worth to discover his talent, being skilled to the bone, but being modest at the same time. After the fine concert in Antwerpen, Zuiderpershuis 2002, nov. 2nd I decided to ask Okay Temiz some questions. You can find them at the end of this introduction.

Another item I also have is called "Dervish".

Soundfiles "Dervis" : "Va Va Va Va", "After Peace", "Locust", "Service Reggae", "Silver Hand"

I've also added some remarks, info, pictures on the splendid The Oriental Wind LP with The Karnataka College Of Percussion at my Indojazzreview page

From the Magnetic Band I reviewed one item on the Turkish new music review pages