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FAHIR ATAKOGLU
Described as "one of the outstanding
pianists and composers in Europe today ... at the cutting edge of
the world music" by Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic records, Fahir
Atakoglu is an international award winning composer and pianist in
the fields of large symphonic works and film music.
A native of Turkey, born in Istanbul,
his works have been
performed in various music festivals in Europe and across
North America to much acclaim, as well as in Europe and
Japan.
His sensitivity as a composer deeply moves the
audience by his unique rhythmic, melodic and harmonic
sense. His music reflects his extraordinary talent in
blending different musical cultures which make his
compositions speak with striking originality, and always
wonderfully connected to the culture of his motherland.
Since 1985, he has composed jingles, documentary and film music
for many national and international productions. Following his
first album in 1994, he released 8 albums in 17 countries
including USA and sold over 2 million copies since. Among
his many awards is the First Prize for Documentary at the Milano
Film Festival in 2000 for "Exile in Buyukada" and the
Best Song Award of Mega Channel, Greece, in 2002, with Telos Dios
Telos, sold over 400,000 copies.
In his latest CD "IF" he plays a
selection of his jazz compositions, with legendary bassist Anthony
Jackson and drum virtuoso Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez, based on
Turkish melodic rhythmic motifs.
ANTHONY JACKSON
Legendary bassist Anthony Jackson was born in
1952, in New York City, approximately one year after the
introduction of the Fender bass. By age 12, his voracious
listening habits, combined with a few years of 'poking' at the
piano, evolved into a desire to play the guitar. He began to
perform locally in 1966 and played on his first recording session
in 1970. Two years later, he joined Billy Paul's band, receiving
his first Gold Record for the hit "Me and Mrs. Jones".
In 1973, he earned a writer's credit as well as an immediate
reputation for his unforgettable bass line on the O'Jays hit
"For the Love of Money".
Over the years he played and toured with
artists such as Roberta Flack, Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, and John
Scofield, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Tom Scott. After 1978, he
reached new technical and creative levels, resulting in some of
the finest contemporary bass playing ever recorded, with diverse
artists as Chaka Khan, Steely Dan, Al Di Meola, Paul Simon,
Eyewitness, and Michael Camilo. In 1975, Jackson built his first
contrabass guitar, an idea he conceived while in his teens.
Working with successive guitar makers to improve design and
playability, he finally began playing the instrument exclusively
in 1982.
HORACIO 'EL
NEGRO' HERNANDEZ
Two-time Grammy winner Horacio 'El Negro'
Hernandez was born in Havana, Cuba, in a very musical
family. He is said to
be the most talented and innovative percussionist in the
world, even before being awarded a Grammy in 1997. Whether
performing with jazz-legends like McCoy Tyner or Michael Camilo,
rock-stars like Carlos Santana and Stevie Winwood or in notable
Latin American ensembles like the Tropi-Jazz All Stars of the late
Tito Puente, 'El Negro' has also shown himself to be one of the
most forceful and versatile musicians in the international music
scene today.
He is truly ambidextrous, being able to play
the leading pattern with either hand or to play the basic rhythmic
figure of Afro-Cuban music, the clave-beat, with his left foot on
the high-hat or the cowbell with the foot-pedal, while his right
foot supports the base line, and his hands quite independently
play highly complex rhythms on the bongos and timbales, which he
often includes, instead of the classical toms, in his
drum-set.
His big breakthrough outside the jazz-scene
came as a percussionist in 1997 for the album Supernatural from
Carlos Santana, which brought him his first Grammy Award.
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5th ANNUAL BOSTON TURKISH FILM FESTIVAL SM 