Aydın Esen

Aydin Esen was born in Istanbul in 1962. He took his first piano lessons from his father, who was an accomplished trumpet player. He played in his father′s band, when he was very young. After graduating from the Istanbul Conservatory in 1980 with the First Prize in piano and composition, Esen was invited to Oslo for further studies in piano, composition and conducting at the Norwegian State Academy of Music. In 1983, he received an invitation from Berklee College of Music, and travelled to the USA. Esen graduated from Berklee in one year, and was awarded a special Artist′s Diploma for his achievements in modern music and jazz. He also attended the New England Conservatory of Music, and completed his Master′s Degree. Since the mid 1980′s, Esen has been performing, recording and touring with the world contemporary musicians such as Miroslav Vitous, Woody Shaw, Can Kozlu, Randy K., Vinnie Colaiuta, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, Anthony Jackson, Steve Smith, Baron Browne, Frank Gambale, Kai Eckhardt, Peter Herbert, Dave Liebman, Peter Erskine, Tiger Okoshi, Gary Burton, Daniel Humair, George Garzone, Mino Cinelu, Michel Portal, and Trilok Gurtu.

In 1986, Esen founded the band "Transfusion" with Tommy Campbell, Kai Eckhardt (later Baron Browne) and Randy K,. In the same year, Esen met Miroslav Vitous, and they founded a group with Marcello Pelitteri and Woody Shaw. In 1987, Esen established the New York Super Band with Tiger Okoshi, Miroslav Vitous, Bob Mintzer and Bob Moses, and toured Japan for one month. During 1995 and 1996, Esen toured Japan again, performing in duet and larger group ensembles with many artists. He has received numerous awards in composition, piano and electronic music. In 1989, he received the First Prize at the International Piano Competition in Paris. For the 1998 Piano Competition, he was invited as a member of the jury.

With a variety of recording labels including Columbia/Sony Records, Polygram, Arista, JMS, Gramavision, Label Bleu and Music City, Esen has recorded many albums including "Trio" (with Eddie Gomez and Marcello Pelitteri), “Timezones” (with Wolfgang Muthspiel), "So Many Lifetimes",  "Aydin Esen" (with Peter Herbert and Can Kozlu), “Pictures" (with Mick Goodrick, George Garzone, Can Kozlu, Peter Herbert and Tommy Campbell), "My Heart" (with Charnett Moffett, Kevin Eubanks, Emily Remler and Randy K), “Anadolu” (with Anthony Jackson, Dave Holland, Peter Erskine, Dave Liebman, Mino Cinelu, Dave Bargeron, Jon Faddis and Randy K), "Brazilian Landscapes" (with Sergio Brandao and Manga-Rosa), "The Jazz x-Centrix" (with Andrew Anello),  "This is me" (with Emily Remler), "Honor Simplicity” (with Kai Eckhardt),  “Respect the Flow” (with Kai Eckhardt, Sean Rickman, Courtney Pine and Zakir Hussein), "Turar" (with Arto Tuncboyaciyan), "Timescape" (with Baron Browne, Steve Smith and Randy K), "Enfas", "Living" (with Miroslav Vitous and Vinnie Colaiuta), "Dialogo", and "Extinction".  All of these recordings have been greeted with critical applause in the international press. He has also appeared in many other recordings and concerts as a player, producer and arranger. Currently, Esen continues to tour throughout the world, receiving invitations from all over to play concerts, and giving conferences and workshops on contemporary music.

Selected discography:
Esen/Gomez/Pellitteri (1985)
Aydin Esen (1989)
So Many Lifetimes (1988)
Pictures(1989) Japan
Anadolu (1992)
Radio Edits (1992)
Enfas(1998)
Timescape (1999)
Living (2001)
Flashpoint (2005)
Dialogo (2005)
Light Years (2006)
Extinction (2006)

Appears on:
Trio (Eddie Gomez) (1985)
Music of Our Time (1994)
This Is Me (Emily Remler)
Edges (Daniel Humair)
Brazilian Landscape (Sergio Brandao)
Honour Simplicity, Respect the Flow (Kai Eckhardt)
My Heart (Tommy Campbell)
Wolfgang Muthspiel (Wolfgang Muthspiel)
Timezones (Wolfgang Muthspiel)
X-Centrix ([Andrew Anello]) (1996)

As a Producer:
Black Spot (Audiofact) 1998
Plumb (Jonathan Brooks and the Story) 1995

Reference: myspace.com/aydinesen, en.wikipedia.org, google.com.tr/images