Akagündüz Kutbay
Encyclopedia
Aka Gündüz Kutbay a leading Turkish ney
(oblique rim-blown reed flute) player of the 1960s and 1970s, was known for his traditional sound, deep tones (dem sesleri), and interest in jazz
, Tibetan
, Indian
, and other world music
s.
Kutbay was a staff musician for many years at Radio Istanbul, where he considered himself a follower of Ulvi Erguner (Director of Turkish Music) and Ulvi's father, the noted Süleyman Erguner ("Dede"). Kutbay taught ney at the prestigious Turkish Music National Conservatory in Istanbul (İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi Türk Musiki Devlet Konservatuarı) from about 1973 to 1979. He served as Head Ney Player (Neyzenbaşı) at the Mevlana Festival in Konya in the early 1970s and led the first North American tour of the Mevlevi Dervishes in 1972 together with Ulvi Erguner.
In Turkey, Aras record label published LP
s of his and in the US, Atlantic Records
produced "Music of the Whirling Dervishes" LP (re-released later on CD) featuring Kutbay and Kani Karaca. Playasound/Auvidis released a CD in 1991 of solo improvisations (taksimler) by Kutbay; the longest of these lasts an extraordinary twenty-three minutes. He appears onscreen briefly playing ney at the beginning of Peter Brook
's 1979
film, "Meetings with Remarkable Men".
Ney
The ney is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found...
(oblique rim-blown reed flute) player of the 1960s and 1970s, was known for his traditional sound, deep tones (dem sesleri), and interest in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Tibetan
Music of Tibet
The music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region, centered in Tibet but also known wherever ethnic Tibetan groups are found in India, Bhutan, Nepal and further abroad...
, Indian
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
, and other world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
s.
Kutbay was a staff musician for many years at Radio Istanbul, where he considered himself a follower of Ulvi Erguner (Director of Turkish Music) and Ulvi's father, the noted Süleyman Erguner ("Dede"). Kutbay taught ney at the prestigious Turkish Music National Conservatory in Istanbul (İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi Türk Musiki Devlet Konservatuarı) from about 1973 to 1979. He served as Head Ney Player (Neyzenbaşı) at the Mevlana Festival in Konya in the early 1970s and led the first North American tour of the Mevlevi Dervishes in 1972 together with Ulvi Erguner.
In Turkey, Aras record label published LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s of his and in the US, Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
produced "Music of the Whirling Dervishes" LP (re-released later on CD) featuring Kutbay and Kani Karaca. Playasound/Auvidis released a CD in 1991 of solo improvisations (taksimler) by Kutbay; the longest of these lasts an extraordinary twenty-three minutes. He appears onscreen briefly playing ney at the beginning of Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
's 1979
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
film, "Meetings with Remarkable Men".
Audio selection
- Short excerpt of improvisation (taksim) by Kutbay 1.2MB, MP3, 1:17 duration
- Short excerpt of deep tones (dem sesleri) by Kutbay 1.2MB, mp3, 1:17 duration