Orhan Demir (; born 1954 in
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
jazz guitarist
Jazz guitarists are guitarists who play jazz using an approach to chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist ( rhythm guitar) and soloist in small and large ...
.
His first release in 1986 "The way I see You" second release is in 1987 "North West", third album was in 1989 "Windmill" in 1990 solo acoustic album "Sultan of Strings", followed by "Hot Cargo" in 1993, "Originals" in 1997, and "Guitar Plus" in 1998, Originals Vol.2 in 2018, Freedom in Jazz in 2019, Freedom in Jazz Vol.2 in 2020, Ziggurat DVD in 2021.
Orhan Demir recordings received great reviews from Jazz Times, Down Beat, Guitar World, Cadence, Options, Coda, Jazz Journal and others.
Brief Biography
Demir, born September 29, 1954, in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, immigrated to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
in 1977.
His albums were cited by respected magazines such as ''
DownBeat
' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
'.
Orhan Demir's style is an interesting blend of Be-Bop rhythms
[ set against a middle-eastern scale][ played with a fast picking technique.][ He has been compared to ]Django Reinhardt
Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...
.[
]
Musicians
*Orhan Demir - guitar
*Neil Swainson
Neil James Sinclair Swainson (born November 15, 1955) is a Canadian jazz bassist. Swainson started his career in Victoria, British Columbia, when he supported visiting American musicians such as Herb Ellis, Barney Kessell, and Sonny Stitt. In ...
- acoustic bass
* Barry Elmes - drums
* Rick Lazaroff - electric bass
* Jack Vorvis - drums
* Thomas Oreynicki - bass
* Francois Briere - t. saxophone
* Perry Pansieri - drums
Selected discography
* The Way I See You (1986)
* Northwest (1988)[
* Guitar Plus (1998)]
References
External Links:
* Orhan Demir's Official Website: http://orhandemir.org
* Barry Elme
Cornerstone Records artist page
* Neil Swainso
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demir, Orhan
1954 births
Living people
Canadian jazz guitarists
Canadian male guitarists
Musicians from Istanbul
Turkish emigrants to Canada
Canadian male jazz musicians