Serkan Cagri Balkan Jazz Project feat. Yildiz Ibrahimova

Serkan Cagri was born in Kesan, Turkey, a town located close to the border of Bulgaria and Greece. Spending whole childhood in this mixed culture, he was first introduced to the clarinet in his primary school days. This meeting led him more and more into music which resulted him to win the Special Award in the "Best Clarinet Performer Contest " when he was only thirteen. His restless desire of exploring clarinet brought him to study consecutively at Ege University National Conservatory of Music, at the Istanbul Technical University National Conservatory of Music. Finally, he has started to teach clarnet at the Haliç University National Conservatory of Music.
He had started his professional career with Grup Laçin, which they had played in both national and international tours. His appearance had continued on Montreux Jazz (Switzerland), Jazz à Vienne (France), Rhythm Sticks (England), Moers Festival (Germany), Etnomalaga (Spain), Skobye Jazz (Macedonia) with him playing as a guest artist in Mercan Dede & Secret Tribe, Kardes Türküler and Yarkin Ensemble projects.
During his academical studies, he made researchs on Historical Process of Clarinet in Turkey and Europe, his articles were published in several magazines. These studies also made him to write an educational book, "Techniques of Performing G Clarinet", which can be found in musicstores.
Discovering the instrument, he had re-designed the pitch setting for; in a result, Amati-Denak, the leading instrument manufacturer, had produced their new G clarinets with this setting, naming the model after Serkan Cagri.
He has two solo albums, "Nefesim" and "Âlâ" and several other recordings with different bands. He is currently playing as a soloist with his band on own projects and with guest artists such as the famous Greek clarinettist Vassilis Saleas or the Bulgarian-Turkish voice virtuosa Yildiz Ibrahimova.
Yildiz Ibrahimova is an experienced and eclectic singer, who demonstrated a talent for singing different music styles without any compromise with authenticity. Born in Bulgaria in a family from Turkish origin, she has always lived between different cultures and acquiered a deep knowledge of the music traditions of the Balkan area. Thanks to an impressing vocal amplitude and to a subtle feeling for all kind of musics she’s interested in, she’s able to combine wonderfully jazz, Turkish, Bulgarian and Gypsy repertoires, with an amazing scenic presence.
Serkan Cagri Balkan Jazz Project feat. Yildiz Ibrahimova results from the encounter of Balkan, Anatolian traditions and jazz, with a particular accent on an surprising dialogue between voice and clarinet.