World Persecution Master

Recognized worldwide as a virtuosic percussionist Burhan Öçal has made the bridging of musical cultures his central mission. A native of Kırklareli in Thrace region, he grew up in a musical family. From his father, he learned a variety of percussion instruments, while his mother introduced him to religious vocal music. After his first contact with Western music, he became interested in combining other genres and cultural traditions, such as jazz and Western classical music, with his own.

He made his United States debut in February 1998 with Eliot Fisk in Los Angeles followed by a tour with the George Gruntz Band

Photo by Koray Kasap

Other highlights of his engagements have included two performances with the İstanbul Oriental Ensemble at 1998 WOMAD Festival (U.K) and three performances with the Ensemble at EXPO’ 98 in Lisbon. He also released a trance/ambient recording, Sultan Orhan, with Peter Namlook on the Fax label, his second CD with the German techno artist. He also gave a solo performance in London at the Royal Festival Hall at Rhythm Sticks (1998).

Koray Kasap with Burhan Ocal one of his New York visits.

ERTEGUN’S WISH

FIRST U.S. DEBUT IN 1998

He made his United States debut in February 1998 with Eliot Fisk in Los Angeles followed by a tour with the George Gruntz Band, performing at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and in Vancouver and New York City. Öçal collaborated with the young Canadian saxophone player Seamus Blake in a residency at the University of Southern California and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He then brought The Seamus Blake Ensemble to the İstanbul Jazz Festival and the İzmir Music Festival in Türkiye

One of his New York concerts, he met Ahmet Ertegün, co-founder and president of Atlantic Records, discovered and championed many leading rhythm and blues and rock musicians.

Photo by Koray Kasap

Burhan Öçal made his United States debut in February 1998 with Eliot Fisk in Los Angeles.

He was performing during a year about 150 concerts in various cities in the U.S.

Photo by Koray Kasap

He had been the face for the renowned Derimod brand and was performing for a video clip alongside hip hop artist Pharrell Williams during a commercial shoot for the Hennessy brand, Öçal became the face of the brand in the US.

Burhan Öçal performed at American Turkish Society Gala in New York on October 26th, 2021 at the Plaza Hotel and honored Mica and Ahmet Ertegun