Sinan Bakir

Rising jazz guitarist/composer Sinan Bakir made a name for himself in todays music scene with his unique, creative and exciting approach on the guitar. Turkish born guitarist is striving for a fresh and clean sound and has a highly energetic playing style. Young guitarist is hailed not only as a virtuoso player, but also a masterful composer by his peers. Bakir’s fresh sounding tunes are an amalgam of rock & jazz stylings and driven by strong melodies deriving from the rich Turkish tradition combined with modern jazz harmonies. His all original debut album "On My Way"(2009) with Thomson Kneeland and Mark Ferber received great reviews from many respected jazz publications and music critics all around the world. While the album is having significant Radio and TV airplay Bakir is keeping busy playing Jazz festivals and regular gigs at NY and CT clubs .

Sinan's early musical experience started with mandolin lessons then continued at the Ankara State Opera Children's Choir. In his early teen years, after attending to a rock concert, he got inspired by the whole experience which led him taking private lessons for both classical and electric guitar and following that he began to unlock the secrets of the instrument by himself. During his college years he was teaching guitar privately and performing with various projects around Turkey. Being open minded and listening a variety of music from classical to avant-garde helped him developing his own sound and a clear vision for his musical direction. By the time he graduated from Hacettepe University with a degree in Engineering he was granted a scholarship from the Hartford Conservatory and moved to United States. He draw attention on the music scene for himself by playing gigs around Connecticut and NY and getting involved with a variety of musical projects. Sinan had many TV & Radio appearances such as Channel 8 "CT Style", Comcast's TV series "Up and Coming", "Accent on Jazz" at WWUH, Fox News and had international airplay from Canada through Europe. His album is featured on many radio shows and had notable airplay. Festival appearances include Greater Hartford Jazz Festival, Monday Night Jazz, Hartford International Jazz Festival and New Haven International Arts & Ideas Festival.

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Turkish-born guitarist/composer Sinan Bakir makes a strong debut as a
leader with the self-released On My Way, an inventive guitar-trio outing with
bassist Thomson Kneeland and drummer Mark Ferber. As the title suggests,
the Hartford, Connecticut-based musician shows he is definitely on his way
to becoming a creative voice in the world of jazz guitar.
Bakir moves easily from a classic Kenny Burrell-style, especially on chord
melody passages (title track and "Steps"), to a more modern, linear approach
in the mold of John Scofield ("Stop n' Go," "Karma"). The guitarist effectively
mixes bebop lines with chromatic trills, relying heavily on guitaristic
hammer-ons and pull-offs, to create a unique voice void of direct imitation.
The full effect of Bakir's approach can be felt on the dirge-like ballad
"Evergreen." Kneeland, with his deep-in-the-wood tone, cuts through the
harmonically-rich ballad "Ice Orbits" with an inventive solo turn. The bassist
then displays even more technical brilliance on the Latin-tinged "Steps,"
paving the way for one of Bakir's more inspired improvised journeys from the
session the up-tempo "Play." The disc as a whole benefits from Kneeland
being featured prominently. Ferber's sensitive drumming provides the right
amount of dynamic push the proceedings, elevating piece to a high level of
musicality.

John Vincent Barron - Jazz Review.com


A lot of young artists seem to throw out hard and fast material at the top of their album programs, to instantly grab attention, but the rest of the music often falls flat and doesn't live up to the early-track hype. Guitarist Sinan Bakir goes the other way, easing into his music as On My Way sets sail, preferring to hold all the aces until later in the game. The title track and, to a greater extent, "Into The Blue" are musically expressive and performed well, but don't really demand attention. While Bakir, bassist Thomson Kneeland and drummer Mark Ferber seem to be more than comfortable in this modest musical area, the music doesn't stay there and the album really starts to take off with "Oddity." Opening as a Ferber-feature that highlights his tom work, Bakir and Kneeland give off a darker vibe when they first join in. Ferber cranks up the intensity as he develops his ideas, and eventually ends up with a more insistent feel, driven by his cymbal work. "Stop N' Go" starts off with a three-chord pattern from Bakir, while Ferber works a funk-tinged rock beat as Bakir solos, with a similarly inclined, repetitious line from Kneeland. Ferber blows off some steam with an impressive solo of his own, and the band chills out after this one, delivering the mellow ballad, "Ice Orbits." While "Steps" falls into a similar category as the opening tracks, its featherweight Latin underpinnings differentiate it. "Play!," the penultimate performance on the album, is a more overt expression ofBakir's Latin roots, and the Samba-fun(k) from Ferber and Kneeland is fantastic. Bakir's inspired soloing feeds off of the energy coming from his trio mates, with lines possessing laser-like focus. The material leading up to "Play!" is equally impressive. The spirit of guitarist John Scofield looms large over Bakir's playing, in particular on "Blues for Istanbul" and "Karma," where the entire trio seems to relish the opportunity to cut loose, the music resonating with a great sense of urgency. Kneeland's delivers his strongest solo the album, as he flies through the music with impassioned technique and energy. "Blues For Istanbul" has a cooler demeanor in its DNA, but happens to have one of the hippest feels of any tracks on the album. This trio outing certainly demonstrates that Sinan Bakir is, indeed, on his way.

Dan Bilawsky - All About Jazz


The young yet poised guitarist from Turkey named Sinan Bakir by way of Hartford, CT arrives in this summer with a solid and refreshing collection of music titled “On My Way” which also features New York studio veterans the talented bassist Thomson Kneeland and jovial drumming provided by none other than Mark Ferber.
When new music arrives, I’m always excited but I’m usually hail captive in not knowing what to expect. From the opening note, guitarist Sinan Bakir’s voice clearly define his purpose as his crisp tone rings with assurance, grace and maturity on the title track “On My Way” caught me surprisingly off guard.
As I listen, Sinan’s laid-back compositional style began to expand as his voice quivered with atoning excellence and undertone of another guitarist John Scofield began to register as he approached “Into the Blue.”
Next up, “Oddity,” follows to employ the same rich tonality, phrases and quality as the aforementioned title while he raises the bar tempo wise to express his ongoing thirst to write and play resilient music with unrefined sensibility.
“Stop N’ Go,” is an example of Bakir’s enthusiasm to further express himself as you’ll discover this mid-tempo gem is spirited and balanced by the fiery interplay by his unparalleled cohorts. Meanwhile, the swag of “Blues for Istanbul,” burns slowly as it spreads evenly on this canvas as the trio swings gently through the passages in the spirit of jazz Turkish style.
On this project, guitarist/composer Sinan Bakir has without a doubt done things exactly his way. What Sinan has given us here is a blueprint of his soul, you’ll find eleven songs which embody a variety of shapes and tones influenced from the audible expressions of Turkey with of course a generous helping of jazz America style on this collection of songs I found respectfully thought out and played with understated fervor and precision that we’ve come to expect as jazz and music enthusiasts.
Let’s stay tuned and see what’s next from this upcoming guitarist/composer named Sinan Bakir.

Rob Young - Urbanflux



These pieces are not just vamps waiting for long solos; instead, many of the
songs have strong melodic lines that open up logically for the various solos.
"Oddity" displays a Middle-Eastern feel in the rhythms and ringing guitar
chords; Bakir's stinging phrases gallop atop Ferber's exciting drum work and
Kneeland's rich bass tones. "Stop & Go" has a "rockish" feel, thanks to the
pounding drums and thumping bass lines. Bakir digs in on this track and one
can hear the influence of Allan Holdsworth, not so much for blazing fast riffs
but in the textures of the guitar sound. Without a second lead instrument,
Bakir alternates between single-note lines and chordal strumming. "Steps" is a
good example of how he allows the melody to dictate the pace, giving room
to Kneeland for a short, melodic, solo before digging in to a thoughtful guitar
spot. Other highlights include the title track that opens the program. The
guitarist's sound is quite clear allowing the trills and little circular riffs to
stand out on a piece that is somewhat introspective. "Play!" is another "hot"
track, with a rhythm line that, at times, sounds like Juan Tizol's "Caravan."
Kneeland's bouncing bass phrases atop Ferber's strutting drums gives the
guitarist the impetus to "let rip."
"On My Way" is a solid debut. It's easy to put this music on and just let it play.
One can hear the influences of Holdsworth, John Scofield and Bill Frisell but
Bakir is no imitator. The voice of the guitar one hears on the opening cut
never wavers or falters throughout. The rhythm section is impressive in their
support and creativity. Sinan Bakir is a good young composer and player
worth your attention.

Richard Kamins - Hartford Courant



Young Sinan Bakir shows a maturity well beyond his youthful appearance. The young man favors a clean tone and assured, John Scofield-like approach. Backed by bassist Thomas Kneeland and drummer Mark Ferber, the guitarist starts off with two nicely paced mid tempo numbers before things really kick into high gear on the sinewy "Oddity" and rocking "Stop N' Go." Bakir calls upon some of his heritage in some moments on his solos which exhibit a bit of Middle-Eastern influence. "Ice Orbits" is cool and subtle, while "Karma" is high-stepping fun. "Blues for Istanbul" combines Turkish directions with the blues, while "Play!" has an engaging Latin touch that is delivered with jubilant energy by the trio. A nice mixture of slower-paced and faster material, played well. Bakir does indeed seem to be a young musician "on his way" and I will be interested to see where he takes his talent next.

Brad Walseth - JazzChicago.net



Music has a formula: Understanding theory, originality, natural talent, the
right chemistry, discipline and focus, incorporate your own influences,
understand the business side, and most importantly, music continues to grow
inside you for the rest of your life.
Sinan Bakir has accomplished and understands all of the above with his (self
released) debut LP "On My Way" His well matched trio including the extremely
talented Thomas Kneeland on acoustic bass and the magnificent drummer
Mark Ferber, have presented us with something new, different and fresh. Jazz
has evolved yet again with this new alternative. Lend an ear, it's not your
parents/grandparents music anymore. If you haven't discovered Jazz yet, now
is the opportune time to do so. Jazz has a new vehicle with Sinan Bakir at the
helm and this generation can claim him as one of their own.
Debut LP "On My Way" .
"Stop and Go" has a delicious vibe with an example of what a perfect trio
should sound like. Listen for the drum solo.
"Ice Orbits"www.myspace.com/sinanbakir has a sweet lazy day feel with
layers of emotional complexities yawning and spreading it's wings.
"Evergreen" Is truly a lovely piece from start to finish with an epic bass solo.

Lucia Sanchez - Examiner

Sinan has introduced himself as a talented author, and his performing views
accepts a modern tendencies. His themes were done in one interesting
performing mood, where influences comes out from the 50's, and reachs
actuelle period. His guitar technique is in many aspects unique, but offering
arrangments has something "taken" from Metheny/Scofield approaches. His
performing energy is also specific, and in interesting way he treats often
rhythm changes in present album themes. "On My Way" is highly
recomandable product, and realistically announce Sinan' s arrival on modern
jazz scene.

Branimir Lokner - Music Editor and Reviewer


Sinan Bakir's debut album of jazz guitar is a solid start. The album really picks
up with "Oddity", which comes roaring out of the gates with rumbling drums,
and "Stop N' Go", which centers on a rock groove that's more Hendrix than
Scofield. Track 10, "Play!", showcases a talent that Bakir's live audiences are
familiar with: his amazing accompaniment during bassist Thomson
Kneeland's righteous solo.

Dan Barry - Hartford Advocate

Any jazz afficianado will love this hot debut from guitarist Sinan Bakir, who
has been making a name for
himself, playing around the tri-state area these past couple of years. This is
an album you can really
sink your teeth into, delving into the many delights of Bakir's pure guitar
sounds, (no pedals please),
his passages are well thought out and devoid of any guitar shredding so
endemic in todays music be it
jazz or rock. Bakir wears his influences proudly and I hear the echo's of the
greats like Wes
Montgomery, Les Paul, Pat Metheny, John Scofield et al. Recorded in a one day
session, in a re-
furbished studio that was once an old church, Bakir and his two seasoned
New York studio veterans on
acoustic bass and drums have made an album that could have been recorded
50 years ago but could
also have been made today and will still sound great 30 years from now..You
couldn't get a higher
compliment.

Joe Sciortino - Amazon reviewer

Live Gig Review

Bakir appears to have a strong grounding in jazz sub-genres, as well as
classical and pop music. However, his own style might be best described as
post-fusion, similar in concept to that of guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. Both
men came of age after the original jazz-rock fusion era had crested, yet their
music synthesizes rock and jazz elements with more ease and fluency than
did the originators of fusion during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

"Stop 'n' Go," the second tune of Saturday's performance, displayed this
seamless marriage of funk, rock and jazz influences, Byrd's keyboard work
recalling the impassioned sounds of Herbie Hancock and Chick Coreain their
electric prime. Bakir's solo paid homage to John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu
days while also sounding very contemporary -- and considerably more
restrained in tone. The guitarist and keyboardist brought the piece to a climax
when their comping during the tail end of Brown's solo grew into a fast,
furious and fun-filled improvisatory dialogue.

Much later, "Oddity" explored equally fulfilling possibilities through the
intersection of jazz, rock and Latin musical styles. Bilello's fine mallet work
introduced this piece before Bakir took off on one of his most inspired
fingerpicking excursions of the night. His clean, crisp attack revealed an
impressive technique, honed no doubt during his residency at the Hartford
Conservatory, where he studied on scholarship after arriving in the U.S. nine
years ago

Chuck Obuchowski - Hartford Courant