Jazz Podium (DE):
"Hancilar warme, volumineuze stem doet soms wel denken aan de jonge Frank Sinatra, maar hij schakelt altijd weer over op Braziliaanse fraseringstechnieken, en beschikt vooral over een geheel eigen kwaliteit." Rainer Bratfisch

Turkish jazz musician Yasam Hancilar embarks on a new chapter with the release of his second album

Amsterdam-based Turkish singer and guitarist Yasam Hancilar released his second album Strange Fish

Strange Fish has ten tracks, including three self-penned compositions. Combining jazz and Brazilian standards with original tracks, this new album delves deeper than before. In one track, Hancilar, both a passionate musician and a socially-engaged one, examines the lifeless body of the little boy washed up on a beach in Bodrum, Turkey. That something so horrible could happen in such a heavenly place This deeply touched me, says Hancilar.

While Hancilars debut album, Heres To Life, mainly interpreted classics from the Great American Songbook, his sophomore album brings in more contemporary works from the world of jazz and Brazilian music, including his own. Ive been singing my whole life, but Ive only just started writing and recording my own songs, says Yasam.

Hancilar grew up in a small town between Istanbul and Ankara in north-western Turkey. At eighteen, he moved to Istanbul to study engineering at the Technical University. But in my spare time I kept myself busy with music, says Hancilar. I deliberately chose Istanbul because the city is a centre for music. In Turkey, if you want to be in a band or see a concert, you have to be in Istanbul. When I was studying, I was a singer and guitarist in a lot of pop and jazz bands.

In 2006, he founded Jazz Mates, and embarked on his musical career. All of a sudden, the ball got rolling, laughs the musician We were asked to perform for major national and international festivals, from Istanbul to Maastricht.

In 2008, Hancilar took part in the Nardis Young Jazz Vocal Competition in Istanbul and the prizes started rolling in. I had the honour of representing Turkey at the eighth International Young Jazz Artists Competition in Estonia. But Turkey doesnt really have any proper training for jazz musicians so I moved to Amsterdam to study at the conservatory.

Hancilar graduated three years ago and now runs his own music school in the Dutch capital. He has his own band and regularly tours the Netherlands and abroad. I gave up my job and my whole life in Istanbul to study in Amsterdam and embark on this new journey but I havent regretted it once. Its been a lot of hard work but I cant imagine Id have wanted to do it any differently and am ready for the next chapter!

Yasam Hancilar -zang
Coen Molenaar – piano
David de Marez Oyens -contrabas
Enrique Firpi – drums

Het Parool:
"Voor het album Strange Fish zou een breed publiek belangstelling moeten kunnen hebben, met zijn mengeling van klassiek, Braziliaans, pop en jazz." 4-sterren, Jan Jasper Tamboer, 17-01-2017, klik hier om het hele artikel te lezen

Nederlands Dagblad:
"De zangstem van Yasam Hancilar combineert melancholie en muziekplezier, Engels en Portugees tot tijdloze wereldjazz." Johan Bakker, 03-03-2017, klik hier om het hele artikel te lezen

Jazzzine.nl
"Met deze fraaie internationale line-up zet Hancilar een melodieus, lyrisch en uitnodigend album neer." 8/10, Serge Julien, 15-02-2017, klik hier om het hele artikel te lezen

Jazzflits:
"Samen met zijn trio heeft hij een cd met verrassende songs samengesteld." Hessel Fluitman, 06-02-2017, klik hier om het hele artikel te lezen

yasamhancilar.com