LOCAL JAZZ HEROES
Born in 1953 in Istanbul, Fatih Erkoç’s contribution to jazz music is undisputable. He is one of the most esteemed people who has introduced and popularised jazz music in Turkey…
I partially knew about Erkoç’s musical journey from several articles I have read, and I had a feeling that his relationship with jazz is a special one. I called Erkoç at the end of June and invited him to participate in Ntv Radio’s “Bizim Cazcılar” program in order to quench my curiosity and to relay this information to everyone. Of course, he was also in our guests list. While we are on this topic, I would like to tell a bit about this program; we will be introducing important jazz musicians of Turkey, both from the past and the present. They will be speaking about their lives, and their relationship with jazz, starting with their childhood and leading to today… This program will be somewhat like a documentary in that sense.
Erkoç said that he was currently in Bodrum so he was sadly unable to come down to the studio, and suggested “If you come to Bodrum, we can have the interview here…” I thanked him and thought, he would of course come to Istanbul in the future, we would have the interview when he did. However, the next day I felt uneasy, and told my director I had made last minute vacation plans and two days later—I am in Bodrum.
I messaged Erkoç as soon as I landed in Bodrum and asked: “I am in Bodrum Mr. Erkoç, I just arrived. I will be here for four days. Would it be possible to make our interview in this time frame, are you available?”
I hadn’t informed him that I would be traveling to Bodrum after our phone call or hadn’t asked for an appointment. But my gut feeling was right, Mr. Erkoç isn’t someone who would let others down. He is very sincere and kind.
In short, we finalised our plans to meet at the Marina following dinner. It was not possible for me to feel fatigued. I didn’t even dwell on having dinner, I quickly got ready and went down to the Marina.
I was greeted by two smiling faces—Fatih Erkoç and his wife Mrs. Mehlika… A beautiful couple in love. Erkoç says he is only in love with his work and his wife. I have to express this in writing, but in reality one can see their love for each other in their eyes. Erkoç’s biggest supporter is his wife. I am sure you are aware, he wrote many songs for Mrs. Mehlika and one of these songs is Ellerim Bomboş, from the 1992 that carries the same name.
Dear reader, if you wish, I suggest that you play one of the songs that are special for Fatih Erkoç (Two Immortals and I Never Knew from True Love album, and Ellerim Bomboş) to accompany this interview…
Zuhal Focan
How did music enter your life Mr. Erkoç? Let’s listen to your life and your music career with your own words, for those who don’t know… How was your childhood, how did your interest in music start?
I started playing when I was around 3-4 years old. Of course, I don’t remember the exact time but know this from what my mother and father had told me. They gave me a violin when I was 3-4, my father got it from an auction, a beautiful violin. He gave that to me. There were many gramophone records in the house. Young people don’t know of gramophone records, but they can look it up on the internet. There were an A-side and a B-side on these records. There would be one song on each side. There would be ‘taksim’s on some of these, which are instrumental solos. These were records of Turkish Classical Music, because my father was an oud player. This was why he gifted the violin to me. I would listen to these records when I was 3-4 and try to imitate them. In a few years, I was able to play a few pieces. For example, there is such a thing as ‘peşrev’. Peşrev is a kind of Turkish Classical Music piece. It is instrumental. There were some records of these. I memorised and played some of these peşrev pieces, there should be some recordings of my playing somewhere. In my wife’s uncle’s old cassette player. I hope we will be able to find it someday. So were my childhood years… I gave my first concert when I was in grade school, if you could call it a concert… My teachers had learnt that I played the violin, and told me to bring it and play for my friends and other students. I was a shy child. I told them I would bring it with the condition that I would play behind the movable blackboard. That was my little concert. I gave other performances outside the school, our apartment was on the third floor, I would lean down from the balcony and play something for my friends waiting downstairs.
What kind of an attention did you receive in school or from family members during these years? Were you supposed to practice with discipline, did your family believe that you would be a musician?
No, there was no such discipline. My father would only try to teach me some of his own knowledge. He believed that I was a talented child. And my mother saw an ad in the newspaper when I was close to graduating from grade school, saying that Istanbul Municipality Conservatory was to accept several boarding students. They made me take the entrance exam, and so I was able to go directly to the conservatory following grade school. But there were no more violins, no more Turkish Classical Music or albums and records… This was because my education at the conservatory was focused on Western Music. The authorities didn’t recommend violin for me because I was a big kid, so trombone became my primary instrument instead of the violin. However, they also gave me another instrument; because I was big in size, I also played the double bass for a year. Then my double bass teacher disappeared for some reason, and I had to give this instrument up. This is the story that leads to my entrance to the conservatory.
Could you tell a bit about your time in the conservatory, how were those years? Did you start playing jazz during these years?
Yes, it was a lot of fun, along with the culture lessons. You learn about music, may it be trombone, double bass or piano lessons… I really loved my piano teacher, the late Hülya Saydam. Because I loved her so much, I would get really high grades in piano class. Let’s note how important the role of a teacher plays is in the eyes of a student. Even though trombone was my primary instrument, I would sometimes get grades like 9 or 8 out of 10. But I would always get 10 in the piano class because of my love for my teacher. Though, I failed in the culture class. I was young and a bit reckless, so I left the conservatory. However, this was always an unfinished business for me, so I ended up graduation from Istanbul University State Conservatory at the age of 52.
What is your favourite instrument and why?
Every instrument has their own unique beautiful sound. But I believe that the best instrument in the world is the piano. It is an instrument that didn’t go through much change since way back in history. Then there is my primary instrument trombone, the instrument I learned how to best play jazz with… But personally piano tops them all for me; it is a gentle, elegant instrument. Of course, these instruments all have their own places, but looking at the subject from a general point of view, piano is the most beautiful. Its only deficiency is that commas cannot be played on it, so the modes of Turkish Classical Music with commas cannot be played.
So, Mr. Erkoç, when and how did you start singing?
A very good and interesting question. It has rarely been asked before. Instruments, music, these were all asked but… I started singing like this: There was an offer made when I was 16. I was a student in the conservatory, it was a winter evening. An older brother came over (we would call students from upper classes ‘older brother’) and told me tat he was taking me somewhere. He was either the pianist or keyboard player of the orchestra playing at a wedding that was taking place in the Liman restaurant in Karaköy. I was then playing the trombone at the school, so he brought me into the orchestra as the trombone player. We were boarding students, so the only way to get out was to give the night guard some money… I started playing with that orchestra, they had one or two vocalists. I would always envy them. About a year later, I shyly asked our orchestra leader Suat Ateş whether or not I could sing a song as well. He asked me what i would sing and I told him “The Shadow Of Your Smile”. One of the most important jazz standards. I sang it then and kept on singing. One of the vocalists passed away, and the other quit. My life as a singer had started. I was so anxious when I sang for the first time, my knees were shaking. Singing is like using two instruments at one; you use your raw voice and use that as an instrument at the same time.
Zuhal Focan
You sing and play instruments in many different music genres. You play both jazz and pop. Which genre do you feel like you belong to?
I would say prominently jazz. This is because jazz is a very liberating music for people—or the musicians. Because you can improvise, it gives you this opportunity. There is improvisation in Turkish Classical Music but it is limited. In jazz, the opportunity to improvise expands to a large area. Foe example, you could adapt pop music to jazz. We played the jazz version of my song “Ellerim Bomboş” several times. All musicians should steer themselves towards jazz, learn about jazz. Every musician should know about jazz. They will surely benefit from this knowledge in everything else they play.
Turkish people seem to approach jazz reluctantly, what is the reason for this?
Jazz, in common terms, is a bit like that saying ‘selling snails in a muslim neighbourhood’. Some people sincerely say that they don’t like jazz. This is because they don’t understand it, so jazz doesn’t express anything for them. But this is wrong. Hıncal Uluç once wrote “Listen to Western Classical Music, watch opera. You might not like it in your first or second try, but you will begin to understand and like something in these in your third and fourth try.” I think this is a correct approach. Jazz is like this, because it is an art form. To understand art, one has to dedicate time and soul to it. It is wrong to say “I don’t understand this, so I don’t like it.” If people learnt about jazz, pay it some attention, we would definitely be a more advanced country. Jazz helps people to improve. I will say it again, all musicians should learn about jazz. To play better pop music, to play or sing better Turkish Classical Music, they need to learn about jazz.
What are your thought on the future of jazz in Turkey?
There are some amazing jazz musicians coming up in Turkey.. There used to be good musicians in the past as well but with the help of technology and internet we can see and learn everything. This helped musicians to understand what they should do to progress as they can follow international artists with more ease. So, I see a brighter future for jazz. There will be many more good jazz musicians in Turkey in the future. Musicians are releasing albums, this is great progress. I hope the listeners will follow this progress.
Do you think there is a profile for jazz musicians? Or are they the same with musicians playing other genres?
If there is, it is their right. From the outsiders’ point of view, it could be being a bit of a snob. This would be their right, because they gave a lot to the world as jazz musicians. They showed more effort compared to other musicians. I am not saying musicians playing other genres aren’t showing any effort, but I don’t think they push themselves as much as jazz musicians. Jazz musicians deserve being a bit proud more…
I wish that I had recorded our conversation while drinking our coffees following this interview. Maybe because of the people sitting right across me, or because of the beauty of Bodrum or my excitement, but I can easily say this was one of the most pleasant conversations I have ever had. For Fatih Erkoç, jazz is even more special than I had anticipated…
I thank Fatih Erkoç and his wife Mrs. Mehlika for their sincerity…
