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Aura Productions is a team work of
individuals with solid backgrounds in music business, each specializing
in exploring international repertoire to the Turkish market.
Aura Productions is the booking agent
for Aura Records' artists among many other prestigious names and
also a concert promoter whose primary mission is to introduce diverse
musical concepts of various genres from the world to the people
of Turkey.
Artists:
Quartet
Muartet
Askin
Arsunan
Cazyapjazz
Levent
Altindag
Tuna
Ötenel
Lloyd Chisholm
Ercüment Vural & Önder Focan Project
NEW
RELEASE
A contemporary jazz album with full of melodiously
rich and laid-back textures...
SPIN -ILK (First)
2006
For those who follow the Turkish local jazz scene
closely, five musicians forming up SPIN are household names performing
in various projects.
Their joint effort SPIN's debut album 'ILK (First)'
is out on Aura Records. Guitarist Sitki Sirtanadolu, pianist
Selim Benba, saxophonist Yahya Dai, bassist Erdal
Akyol and drummer Ferit Odman, after playing together
a few years under various names they came up with 'SPIN', while
playing a tune of Thelonious Monk and remembering his famous spin
arounds during his solos.
SPIN's foundation goes back as early as 1999. When
Sitki Sirtanadolu and Selim Benba met each other, they soon realised
they share common musical perspectives. At the time, this was only
a musical exchange of ideas between the two, but soon it turned
out to be a successful band playing mostly covers of the selected
jazz contemporaries.
Later on, originals were added into the repertoire.
Over the years, the new ones replaced some band members and every
once in a while the band took breaks. After 8 years of playing on
and off, Spin is continuing its journey with its current line up.
Right before their youngest member, drummer Ferit
Odman's departure to US for his graduate studies in music, SPIN
took the opportunity to go into the studio to document their musical
expedition in a permanent way.
'ILK' was recorded in May 2006 at MIAM studios
in Istanbul, Turkey. Six out of eight tunes are Sirtanadolu's, one
is Benba's originals. One tune is a joint effort by the two. The
album was produced by Sitki Sirtanadolu and co-produced by Yahya
Dai.
At first glance, 'ILK' is a blend of contemporary
compositions delivering musical qualities that are in midway between
New York mainstream and Europe's North Jazz. Melodies are strong
and forward, yet structurally easy to grasp and highly communicative,
emphasizing on the band's diligence to connect with the listener.
From the deeply touching ballad As You Wish and
composed right after an earthquake Fay Hatti, to the Latin flavoured
"I'll Be There Tomorrow" and warm as the sunshine "Shining
On You", Spin's music will sure make your soul spin.
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With the intention of not limiting
to a specific musical category or style, Aura Records welcomes artists
who believe in the uniqueness of what they do, without cultural
boundaries.
Our goal as a record label is to explore
the hidden musical treasures of Turkey to the world. We are strong
believers of true musicianship in any style, and will support any
efforts by those who are open minded in the musical sense.
Always keeping in mind the importance
of the artist and product development, we aim to establish a catalogue
of selective works.
Our commitment to the music in general,
lies under the careful handling of each project with respect to
its musical identity.
Audiofact /Asitane
2003
Known for its inventive and dynamic
approach to jazz, Audio Fact performs a modern fusion of original
jazz, Turkish and world music-influenced composition, and improvisation.
This inventive group has learned ways
of adopting the different tuning systems of Turkish and Western
music within the borders of Western music composition, improvisational,
and performance practice traditions.
The use of fine-tuned keyboards, fretless
electric guitars, natural trumpets, and reeds result in highly original
music that is at the same time very worm and familiar. Founded in
1997 by guitarist Onur Turkmen and keyboardist Mehmet Sanlikol,
Audio Fact features Ryan Woodward on tenor and soprano saxophones,
Fernando Huergo on electric bass, and Cengiz Baysal on drums.
This diverse group of young musicians,
all of which are accomplished in their own right and alumni of the
Berklee College Of Music, has won international praise for its unique
and energetic sound, and has performed at festivals in Mexico, Argentina,
the United States, Turkey and Cyprus.
Tuna Ötenel / How Much Do You Love Me? 2005
On this album Tuna Ötenel plays piano and saxophone,
accompanied by Neset Ruacan on guitar, Imer Demirer on trompet,
Kürsat And on bass and Ates Tezer on drums.
Moving along the standard waters of jazz with the
distinct flavour of the 50's and the 60's, Tuna Ötenel in "How
Much Do You Love Me?" dedicates his over 50 years of musical
accumulation to the musicians about he says "they are the stars
of this album."
Eski Günler (The Old Days) in the latin jazz sound
ornamented with spontaneous improvisions in the studio is about
Ötenel's longing for the old days, Polonya (Poland) was written
after watching many documentaries on Poland, Imbat (Sea Breeze)
is a sensual solo piano tune which gives the listener the feeling
of a spaciousness of the wind.
The trumpet takes the lead in Hunter, Rihtim Caddesi
(Quay Road) is the center of everything, I Wished On The Moon a
famous jazz standard recorded first time in Turkey, and finally
the very melodic title track How Much Do You Love Me? soaks deep
into the senses of the listener and remains there forever when given
this album a careful listen.
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Askin Arsunan / One A Day
2003
"One a Day" is the first solo album
by Askin Arsunan, he is accompanied by Levent Altindag on tenor and soprano
saxes, Senova Ülker on trumpet, Aycan Teztel on trombone, Volkan Hürsever
on acoustic bass, Eylem Pelit is on electric bass and Volkan Öktem on
drums, vocalist Sibel Gürsoy is also featured on one of the tracks.
The music on "One A Day" is a blend
of ethnic and electronic themes with influences ranging from standard
jazz to avant-garde. Askin Arsunan is reflected in all his colours as
an excellent musician, composer and arranger, the album showcases his
versatility in a variety of musical genres.
These tracks bear many traces of the changes
going on through the years in Arsunan's stance towards life as well as
his musical perspective.
All compositions and arrangements on 'One
A Day' are by Askin Arsunan except for Take Five by Paul Desmond and Paul
Simon's Bridge Over Troubled Water, its an album worthy of listening to
at least once a day.
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Habbecik /An Meselesi
2001
Formed by the leading session musicians of Turkey; Levent "Levo"
Altindag on soprano & tenor saxes and flute, Cengiz Özdemir on keyboards,
Berç 'Beco' Yeremyan on guitar, Eylem Pelit on bass, Cem Erman on percussion,
and Volkan Öktem on drums, Habbecik's music can be described as the happy
marriage of jazz and Turkish themes, but it is not a musical style fabricated
for the sake of synthesis.
When the world music styles which the group members are
interested in and listened to unite with the musical pluses gained from
being raised in this country, said musical style appears by nature.
On "An Meselesi" the group is accompanied by
a number of leading Turkish ethnic musicians. It is an album that opens
a new path in jazz thanks to its traditional Turkish music elements, to
provide food for the souls of Westerners who might have tired of listening
to the same thing.
Tuna Ötenel / L'Ecume De Vian - Vian Köpügü (1998)
Turkey's leading pianist, saxophonist, and composer Tuna Ötenel's second
solo album recorded in the Spring of 98 in Paris, the album got its title
from the renowned French author and jazz musician Boris Vian's novel,
'L'Ecume Des Jours.'
Two well-known names, Pierre Michelot on bass and Philippe Combelle on
drums, accompany Tuna on piano.
Bassist Pierre Michelot is a vibrant force in European jazz. Earlier,
he played with such greats as Rex Stewart, Coleman Hawkins, Django Reinhardt
and later with Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Bud Powell.
Drummer Philippe Combelle belongs to the most recent generation
of a notable French jazz family. He worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan
Getz and many others. L'Ecume De Vian contains eleven compositions; eight
of which are Ötenel's originals, and three standards. Ötenel's compositions
reflect his rather nostalgic, yet powerful melodic side of him.
His melodies often seem to underline melancholy with a
touch of hope.
E. Vural & Ö. Focan Project / Like Red -
2004
Lead by Önder Focan who is one of the most productive
jazz musicians in Turkey and Ercüment Vural with his many credits in jazz,
pop and latin music projects, and with Alp Ersönmez on bass, Cengiz Baysal
a well known drummer from Turkish jazz scene and the young percussionist
Tunç Çakir with his strong sense of rhythm, 'Kirmiziya Çaliyor - Like
Red' a very enjoyable listen.
The album consists of tracks influenced by latin, funk
and swing.
The album titled after Ercüment Vural's composition 'Like
Red' , which tells us, as a scorpion himself, his purification from red
attitudes in life and moving towards 'like red' in time. However according
to both musicians the overall color of the album is blue... Bright melodies
and relaxing rhythms create a peaceful atmosphere and taking the listener
to far away realms.
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