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Omar Faruk Tekbilek (born 1951, Adana, Turkey), also known as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, is a Turkish virtuoso flautist. He is known for his performances with the ney in a Sufi style.
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Honored as a peacemaker and virtuoso, Omar Faruk Tekbilek is now one of
the most sought-after musicians, whose work transcends political
boundaries while maintaining traditional sensibilities in a way few
artists can manage.
Omar Faruk was a musical prodigy. He was born in Adana, Turkey to a
musical family who nurtured his precocious talents. At the age of
eight, he began his musical career by developing proficiency on the
kaval, a small diatonic flute.
At the same time he studied religion with thoughts of becoming a
cleric, or Imam. His musical interests were being nurtured by his older
brother and by a sympathetic uncle who owned a music store and who
provided lessons. “He had a music store, and he also had another job
during the day. So he told me to come after school, open the store, and
- in exchange - he gave me lessons.” While working in the store, Omar
Faruk learned the intricate rhythms of Turkish Music, how to read
scales, and other rudiments. He was trained on and eventually mastered
several instruments; ney (bamboo flute), Zurna (double-reed oboe like
instrument with buzzing tone), the baglama (long-necked lute), the oud
(the classic lute), as well as percussion. By the age of twelve he
began performing professionally at local hot spots.
In 1967, upon turning sixteen, he moved to Istanbul where he and his
brother spent the following decade as in-demand session musicians. Omar
Faruk stayed true to his folkloric roots, but during this period of
frenetic session work in the metropolitan music scene, he explored
Arabesque, Turkish, and Western styles and the compositional potential
of the recording studio. In Istanbul he also met the Mevlevi Dervishes,
the ancient Sufi order of Turkey. He did not join the order, but the
head Neyzen (ney player), Aka Gunduz Kutbay, became another source of
inspiration. Omar Faruk was profoundly influenced by their mystical
approach and fusion of sound and spirit. During that time he was
introduced to Hatha Yoga and eventually to Tai Chi and Chi Qong, which
he continues to practice daily.
Omar Faruk’s skills in the studio blossomed in Istanbul playing with
some of the leading Turkish musicians of the day including Orhan
Gencebay, flute and saxophone player Ismet Siral, percussionist Burhan
Tonguc and singers Ahmet Sezgin, Nuri Sesiguzel, Mine Kosan and Huri
Sapan to name a few. After establishing himself as one of the top
session musicians in Turkey, he began touring Europe and Australia. By
1971 at the age of 20, he made his first tour of the United States as a
member of a Turkish classical/folk ensemble. It was while touring in
the US that he met his future wife, Suzan, and in 1976 he relocated to
upstate New York to marry her.
Omar Faruk found very few options for a Turkish musician in the US, so
he formed a band called the Sultans with an Egyptian keyboardist, a
Greek bouzouki player, and his brother-in-law on percussion. It started
as a pop band but very quickly turned into a sort of Pan-Near Eastern
ensemble. They began to attract some attention within the circle of
Middle Eastern dance fans. They managed to record five albums during
this time, but Omar Faruk was still unknown outside his local musical
community.
This was all about to change with the fateful meeting with Brian Keane
in 1988. In the following years, he and Keane would produce another six
recordings together, launching Omar Faruk boldly into the world music
scene.
Omar Faruk Tekbilek has since established himself as one of the world's
foremost exponents of Middle Eastern music. A multi-instrumentalist par
excellence, he has collaborated with a number of leading musicians of
international repute such as jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, keyboard player
Karl Berger, ex-Cream rock drummer Ginger Baker, Ofra Haza, Simon
Shaheen, Hossam Ramzy, Glen Velez, Bill Laswell, Mike Mainieri, Peter
Erskine, Trilok Gurtu, Jai Uttal and Steve Shehan among others. He has
contributed to numerous film and TV scores and to many recordings
including world sacred music albums, and has been touring extensively
throughout the Middle East, Europe, Australia, North and South America.
Omar Faruk’s music is rooted in tradition, but has been influenced by
contemporary sounds. He views his approach as “cosmic” and his
commitment to music runs deep. The four corners of his creativity
emanates mysticism, folklore, romance, and imagination. Like Omar Faruk
himself, his music symbolizes diversity-in-unity.
Omar Faruk is the recipient of the "Best Artist of the Turkish Music Award 2003" from the "Turkish Writers Association".
He is a nominee for the BBC World Music Award 2003 in the category of the Middle East.
He is also the recipient of the US Golden Belly Musician-Of-The-Year-Award, for 1998 and again, for 1999
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