Ruken B & Yaniv Nachum en Sinasi Celayiroglu - Komu & Göksel Baktagir

Ruken B & Yaniv Nachum and Sinasi Celayiroglu RukenB is an ensemble with musicians from Turkey, Spain, Israel and Germany, established in 2005 by singer/songwriter Ruken Bariº. Inspired by Anatolian melodies and harmonic structures from jazz, Ruken B combines authentic Turkish music with improvisations and catchy grooves. Ruken B performs traditional songs from Anatolia in modern arrangements. Soprano saxophonist Yaniv Nachum is a special guest. He studied at the Israeli Jazz Academy and started on the tenor sax with the Tel Aviv Jazz Big Band. He also collaborated with Slide Hampton and Mike Stern. Since 2003 Yaniv has taught jazz improvisation at the Amsterdam Conservatory and he participates in projects all over the world. Another guest is Şinasi Celayiroglu on fretless guitar, e-bow, classical guitar and electric guitar. He is one of the most versatile guitar players in Turkey. Komşu & Göksel Baktagir Komşu is from Amsterdam and consists of young, but experienced musicians.

The band was founded in 2011 by bass player and vocalist Oğan Şadan. Borders mean nothing to this ensemble: they cross over from Balkan to Oriental, from Anatolian to electronic and from dance to pure improvisation. Oriental melodies fuse with Western rhythms; furthermore a good groove and a joyful performance are guaranteed with Komşu. Just like the founder of the band, singer Tülin Karataş has a Turkish background. Trumpet player Raya Danchova comes from Bulgaria. Geert Sluijter plays the drums and Lode de Roos is on keyboard.

The band recently released its debut album. Göksel Baktagir is a virtuoso on kanun, the Turkish version of the zither. The versatile Baktagir has played with Mercan Dede, contributed to Peter Gabriel’s CD Passion and released several albums of his own. He has also written more than one hundred compositions. His musical horizon runs from jazz to classical to new age.