Eren Gumrukcuoglu: moving beyond funnels

News:
07-02-2009:
Eren is on MySpace:

Ergonomy Trio - Second Awakening


ercuments composition


We tried to play funnels...


Due to the style and nature of playing there has been some debate in the guitar forums about his style, so check out guitar messenger for details, my main response. This debate happens all the time, not least on therealallanholdsworth forum... I particularly agree with this comment:
I say, bring on more crap. Let crap flow from the mountain tops to the valleys. Bring forth the music, clone or no clone. Bring it. I inject it into my body, I don't care who plays it. I'll listen to it all. Bill Connors, Nico, this guy, all of 'em. A rising tide will raise all musical ships, Allan's too.


Background:
Born in Istanbul, Turkey. Started playing the organ in the YAMAHA young musicians classes in 1991. He took the course for a year. Graduated from Hasan Ali Yucel Elementary School. He grew up listening to his father's large collection of LPs such as Jethro Tull and likes.

He took private lessons on classical guitar for 6 months in 1995. Got into the school band as bass player in 8th grade. He soon turned out to be the new guitar player for both the school band and the band with his friends as a result of his improvements on the guitar. He has got the second prize in the finals of '97-Turkey's Best Guitar Solo Championship that took place in Istanbul.

He played in numerous concerts and festivals in Istanbul with his band. In Fall '97 , he decided to go abroad as an exchange student with American Field Service (AFS) and got accepted. He did some recording sessions with the pianist Emir ISILAY before leaving Turkey.

He left F.M.V. Ayazaga Private ISIK Junior/Senior High School and arrived in the U.S. in August '98 and he started his AFS-Exchange Year Program in Washington D.C. In November '98 he attended one of Greg Howe's clinics in Pennsylvania and won the first prize in the contest that was held.

Eren has been playing the guitar for 6 years. He has finished his jazz guitar studies in Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. where he also took piano courses. While he lived in Washington, D.C., he continuously performed in gigs with Duke Ellington Guitar Ensemble as well as personal gigs and also in recitals on the guitar and piano. He has played on the same stage with musicians like saxophonist Davey Yarborough, pianist Billy Taylor and Grammy Award Winner Shirley Horn.
He has also been a member of The New Washingtonians Jazz Orchestra in Washington, D.C. for 2 years in direction of Davey Yarborough and performed with them in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in D.C. and at the prestigious Marciac Jazz Festival '00 in France.

He got a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. and is majoring in Performance and Film Scoring. He has been working with musicians like Tiger Okoshi, Bruce Bartlett, and Walter Beasley through his studies. He performs in concerts at Berklee and if time allows around Boston. He is currently studying privately with Mick Goodrick.

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