Honored as a peacemaker and virtuoso, Omar Faruk Tekbilek's work transcends political boundaries while maintaining traditional sensibilities. Omar Faruk was a musical prodigy. He was born in Adana, Turkey to a musical family who nurtured his talents. At the age of eight, he began his musical career by developing proficiency on the kaval, a small diatonic flute. His musical interests were nurtured by his older brother and by a sympathetic uncle who owned a music store and who provided lessons. Omar Faruk recalls, “ 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 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, 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.
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Omar Faruk’s skills in the studio blossomed in Istanbul while playing with some of the leading Turkish musicians of the day including, flute and saxophone player, percussionist and singers, and to name a few. After establishing himself as a session musician, he began touring Europe and Australia. In 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. Autodijagnostika program. 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 in 1988. In the following years, he and Keane produced 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, keyboard player Karl Berger, ex-Cream rock drummer, and 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.
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NEWLY RELEASED!!! Alif Records / Krian Music Group PRESENTS LOVE IS MY RELIGION BUY NOW: In his newest release in over five years, acclaimed Sufi Turkish virtuoso Omar Faruk Tekbilek expands his “Mediterranean sound” beyond political, religious and geographic boundaries. ‘Love Is My Religion’ is his 15 th release, and is produced by Amotz Plessner & Alex Alessandroni Jr. This album joins together an incredible group of international musicians and world renowned luminary guests such as Yasmin Levy and Idan Raichel. Omar Faruk applies his unity-in-diversity approach to a collection of songs colored with Middle Eastern flavors with distinct traces of folk, traditional Sufi, flamenco and other contemporary elements. “Tekbilek’s music has a beauty and elegance that few can match, it’s gorgeously recorded, with numerous collaborators, and it demonstrates once again not only the amazing talent of the man but also his heart.” – Cyclic Defrost / Australia “While Tekbilek’s music itself is not overtly political, the symbolism of uniting what may at first seem like disparate musical styles and instruments provides an example that we could all do well to follow.” – Santa Barbara Independent.