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Born from a Columbian dancer mother and a Cuban musician father, Luis Ernesto Gomez grew up in Paris. His father is one of the pioneers of salsa and Cuban music in France. Luis studied with Changuito and Tata Guines. Since 1986, he has been playing tumba in countless salsa and latin jazz bands. His stage career started at the age of 16, accompanying Mayra Valdes Irakere. He started performing with the band of Rembert Egues, the Cuban musician, at “Les Trois Mailletz” Jazz Club in Paris. He accompanied many famous musicians with his tumba at this venue where he became art director. (1989-2005). In 1998, Luis and his wife, Gülseren Yıldırım Gomez, famous singer, percussionist (darbuka) and dancer (who was to be the Turkish participant in the 2005 Eurovision song contest), encouraged by their interest in world music and cultural exchange intruduced the first Salsa Turca group in Paris. Since 2005, Gülseren and Luis has been singing and playing with her own band LA DESCARGA in Turkey and different countries. The couple already produced and sang for 11 CD albums. This year Gülseren and Luis formed in İstanbul their own and unique salsa big band : “Luis Ernesto Gomez – Gülseren & LA DESCARGA”. Performance not to be missed…
Music Charge: 35.-TL

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Nezih Yeşilnil started playing the mandolin at the age of 6 and guitar at 13. He took up the bass guitar with the group Maça Beşi in İzmir at the age of 17. Yeşilnil who is a graduate of Ege University, Faculty of Economics, Economics Division was among the founding members of Group Doğuş in 1974. He performed in numerous concerts and festivals in Turkey and abroad together with many notable musicians since 1986. Presently Nezih Yeşilnil is performing with his own trio as well as with a number of ensembles performing jazz and ethnic music. He gives private double bass tuition at the Pera Music School and Modern Music Academy.
The trio will perform tonight “manaouche” music.
Music charge: 30TL

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Born in Ankara. After getting her degree in chemistry from Ege University, she studied Musicology and graduated from Dokuz Eylül Fine Arts Faculty. Than she got her masters degree on Music at İstanbul University.
Early days, studied with Ömür Gidel. She Studied Jazz vocal improvisation with Randy Esen and Elif Çağlar and had the chance to participate workshops and master classes of Sibel Köse.
Besides her private work, she has been the leader and lead vocalist of her band ‘Happy People’ since 2009.
Music Charg: 30.-TL

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“To live like a tree, individually and freely,
and brotherly like a wood.
This is our longing.”
(Nâzım Hikmet)

Nâzım Hikmet’s words are brought to life by Defne Şahin’s music – sometimes at the lapping sea, sometimes in the woods, sometimes among the stars, but also in prison, where Hikmet spent 16 years of his life for being a dissident. In her debut project, Defne Şahin put poems by this great Turkish poet to music.
The Berlin singer with Turkish roots was particularly intrigued by Hikmet’s idea of freedom and his closeness to nature. Her songs are influenced by Jazz, Pop, and oriental sounds and rhythms. They create a distinctive world of sound that infuses Hikmet’s verses with new life.

Can Olgun (piano), who is currently living in New York, Simon Quinn (double bass) from Switzerland, and Martin Krümmling (drums), who has just returned from New York, are sought-after musicians in the Berlin Jazz scene and contribute their personal styles to Defne Şahin’s pieces. In 2010, the band received the Berlin Senate’s Studio Award for World and Pop Music. The album Yaşamak was released in the fall of 2011 (Doublemoon Records/KALAN Müzik) as part of the Next Generation series of Germany’s well-known jazz magazine Jazz thing.

Yaşamak (to live) is as free as Nâzım Hikmet’s words, always in search of vastness, merging the young singer’s Turkish roots with the sound of Jazz.
“These are beautiful stories, which Defne Şahin sings in Turkish, poems by Nâzım Hikmet set to music. Her clear voice and this beautiful language enchant. Together with the intertwined harmonies and melodies and the repeatedly surprising grooves, they create a separate world for each piece that takes me on a journey even though I do not understand the language. Wonderful how fast a musician and her music can grow!” (Julia Hülsmann).
Music Charge: 30.-TL