Jazz Festival > Program > MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS - “JAZZ PIANISTS”
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 ● İKSEV ● 19.00
MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS - “JAZZ PIANISTS”
Ümit Tunçağ
With Zafer Çebi, piano and Nezih Yeşilnil, bass
Ümit Tunçağ
Born in Izmir in 1948, Tunçağ attended Gazi Elementary School and Izmir College (now called Bornova Anatolian High School). He graduated from Ege University's Faculty of Economics and Commercial Sciences, studying Production and Personel Management.
In 1967 he started work as a producer for İzmir's TRT Radio. Since 1975, he has also been working as a television newsreader. After serving for 18 years as a state official for TRT, he transferred to the private sector but continued at TRT as a producer and Publisher.
To date, he has prepared and presented 3000 radio and nearly 500 TV programs.
In the private sector, he first worked for the Aegean Investment Group as Public Relations Director, and later for the Sheraton Voyager Antalya Hotel as Social Affairs Manager.
From December 1991 to March 2002, he served as the External Relations Director of PHILSA. After retiring from there he continued to work as Philsa’s Adviser until 2006. From 2006 to 2007, he worked as the External Relations Director for SARDES Nickel Company in Turgutlu. Since 2010, he has been serving as Bornova Municipality’s Culture and Art Consultant.
His son Tan Tunçağ (1975) is a graduate of Mimar Sinan University's Fine Arts Faculty Theater Department, and is currently working as an artist of the PORTECHO group. Since February 1998, he has been married to Oya El-Cherbiny Tunçağ, a retired violinist from Izmir's State Symphony Orchestra.
Zafer ÇEBİ, piano
Born in 1958 in İzmir, Zafer Çebi graduated from the Music Department od Buca Education Faculty. His grandfather, Fahri Çebi, is a violinist in the Presidential Symphony Orchestr, and his father Erol Çebi and uncles Hüseyin and Ertuğrul Çebi are trumpeters.
Zafer Çebi has performed with all the Turkish symphony orchestras, and the CSO in particular, with his jazz arrangements. From 1989 to 99 Zafer worked as a contract artist for TRT televisio, and in 1993, Çebi participated from Turkey in the Eurovision finals with his composition "Gülümse". Çebi has worked with Turkey's major artists, including Tanju Okan, Fatih Erkoç, Özdemir Erdoğan, Neco, Salim Dündar, İlhan Şeşen, Kürşat Başar, Jale, Sibel Alaş, Erdal, Yıldırım Gürses, Müjdat Gezen, Bora Ayanoğlu, Zeynep Casallini, Sibel Tüzün, Altuğ Dilmaç, Hakan Aysev, Doğan Canku, Suavi, Ali Kocatepe, Sibel Köse and Pınar Aylin. The artist continues to perform with the Zafer Cebi Jazz Band.
Nezih Yeşilnil. bass
Born in Izmir, Yeşilnil started playing mandolin at the age of 6 and guitar at the age of 13. When he was 17, he joined the Maça Beşi Group as a bass guitarist. After graduating from the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Economics at Ege University, he became one of the founders of Grup Doğuş in 1974.
Yeşilnil, who played in various dance music groups for a while, switched to the double bass in 1980 and turned to jazz music. In the summer of the same year, he joined the Emin Fındıkoğlu Trio and strengthened his experience in jazz alongside the musicians he worked with.
In 1996, he was in the group that represented Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Oslo, Norway.
On April 15, 2014, he was invited to the organization organized within the scope of the UNESCO – WAD / IAA (World Art Day) "World Art Day" celebrations, led by UNESCO-AIAP World President Rosa Maria Burillo Velasco and coordinated by French artist Marie Pierre, together with his wife Ayşegül Yeşilnil. The duo performed for “World Art Day” and were honored with a diploma from UNESCO-WAD for their participation.
Yeşilnil, who worked as a bass instructor at Pera Fine Arts Academy and Modern Music Academy for a long time, continues his musicianship with various groups that play jazz and ethnic music, as well as his own trio; he continues to give private lessons at his home in Urla.
Nezih Yeşilnil and his wife Ayşegül Yeşilnil were honored with the “Dario Moreno Award” on the 92nd birth anniversary of İzmir artist Dario Moreno in April 2013.
In June 2018, the Istanbul Jazz Festival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), honored Nezih Yeşilnil, who celebrated his 50th year in the arts, with the “Lifetime Achievement Award”.
