Jazz Festival > Program > Opening Concert “CROSSING BOSPORUS”

Three extraordinary musicians have found each other!

The three build a musical bridge across the Bosporus. Burhan Öçal's Turkish rhythms combine with the melodious, poetic jazz of Europe and the powerful, pulsating beat of London's cultural melting pot. 

Courageously and with relish, they explore boundaries and create something new. Inspiration, improvisation and creation from three cultures come together to create a unique musical and listening experience.

Music becomes a world language! 

 

Burhan Öçal, percussion 

In addition to the Turkish percussion instruments darbuka and bendir, Burhan Öçal plays traditional string instruments such as the saz and oud. Growing up with the music of the Ottoman Empire, Burhan Öcal also came into contact with Western music at an early age. He combines the Orient and Occident in his music with great virtuosity. Öçal performs worldwide as a soloist with various chamber music formations. Tours with Joe Zawinul's "Stories of the Danube", or with the classical pianist Maria Joao Pires and the Kronos Quartet, testify to his great musicality and his ability to contribute creatively to a wide variety of musical contexts. 

 

Heiri Känzig, double bass  

Heiri Känzig, born in New York, has been active on the international music scene since he was seventeen years old. At the age of 21, he accompanied the great bebop trumpeter Art Farmer and recorded his first record with him. Heiri Känzig is not just a virtuoso technician: with his powerful sound, musical openness and creativity, he has shaped formations worldwide, from jazz to world music, and has recorded over 180 CDs. 

In 2016, Heiri Känzig's musical work was honored with the SUISA Prize, and in 2005, he received the Canton of Zurich's Prize for Composition.

 

Alex Wilson, piano/keyboards 

Alex Wilson won the BBC Rising Jazz Star Award in 2001 and began his career as a keyboardist and pianist in the band of English saxophonist Courtney Pine. This was followed by concerts and world tours with Winton Marsalis Jazz at the Lincoln Center, Tony Allen, Hugh Masakela, Ernest Ranglin and Bobby Watson. He has also worked as a producer and keyboardist for the Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela (Grammy 2020). In 2017 he composed music for Sandra Bullock's film "The Proposal".