Editor’s Note: The 2015 Atlanta Jazz Festival returns to Piedmont Park this weekend with a stellar line-up of musicians. To mark the festival, our regular contributor Franklin Abbott has interviewed percussionist composer Emrah Kotan, which you can read below, and vocalist, composer and producer Tony Hightower, which will be posted tomorrow. To see the full lineup of performances this weekend at the Jazz Festival, visit atlantafestivals.com.
If you are familiar with Atlanta’s vibrant jazz scene then you may have heard Emrah Kotan. The Turkish born jazz percussionist and composer is frequently seen at Churchill Grounds, The Velvet Note and other jazz clubs around town. He is also percussionist for India.Arie and director of Jazz and World Percussion at Agnes Scott College.
Emrah came to the United States to study jazz at Georgia State University. He began his musical studies at age 11 in Turkey when he entered the Ankara State Conservatory. He came to the US knowing little English but a lot about the musical styles of the East and West. He has created a life here as a teacher, performer and family man. He will be performing music with an all star band and featuring songs from his new album, The New Anatolian Experience, this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at the Atlanta Jazz Festival in Piedmont Park on the International Stage. We talked with Emrah about his career for INtown.
How old were you when you came from your native Turkey to the US and how were you able to enroll at Georgia State University?
I came to the U.S. when I was 21. To get into Georgia State, I had to send an audition tape. I had to play all the instruments on that demo because I did not know any musicians in Atlanta, and I could not speak English very well. When I sent the tape to GSU, they invited to me have an in-person audition. With my limited English skills, I was not sure I would get in. However, Jack Bell, the former Director of Percussion at GSU, really wanted me in his program, and I was accepted into the Master’s program in 2000.
Were there musicians in your family? How did you get introduced to music?
No, I did not have any musicians in my family. However, I do have artists in my family. My aunt and uncle are very talented painters.I was introduced to music when I was 8 years old. My mother bought me a mandolin. I started taking lessons, and I became good at it fairly quickly. Then my mother promised me if I passed my 3rd grade classes, she would buy me an oud, and she did. After I got the oud, my parents bought me a guitar. They realized that I had a musical talent, and weekly lessons were not enough for me. So, at 11, I auditioned for Ankara State Conservatory and started playing percussion there. I graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance.
Tell us a little about the difference between the sound of Turkish music and Western music. How do both sounds figure into your CD The New Anatolian Experience?
Well, traditionally, Turkish music is based on eastern melodic modes called “Maqam,” which is a technique of improvisation that identifies the pitches (pitch inflections, commas), positions, patterns and musical conclusions in eastern musical traditions. They sound different then western scales such as major or minor. Maqams are not only used in Turkish music, they are widely used in Middle Eastern and Balkan countries as well. Another important element of Turkish music is the rhythmic structure of “odd meters” which are not common time signatures such as 4/4 and 2/4. It is more like 9/8, 7/8, 5/8 subdividing the rhythm group of twos and threes. As a classically trained musician who grew up in Turkey, I studied both musical styles, and I understand and combine both eastern and western musical traditions in my music. I think that’s what makes the music unique and interesting.
When you first came to the US you supported yourself in part by working at McDonalds. Was there a rhythm to your work? Did you find a way of making the experience musical?
Yes, I did work at McDonald’s, and those were very difficult times. I did not focus on music while I was working there. I was trying to make ends meet. It was temporary for me. Many musicians have gone through some tough times in their lives. It was an experience for me. I think everything I have experienced in this life (good and bad) is somehow reflected in my music.
You work with all kinds of musicians in different genres. You are also the drummer for India.Arie. Can you talk about what percussion brings to music and what it is like to support an artist like India.Arie?
Yes, I do play with all kinds of musicians in different musical genres, and I enjoy it very much because it improves me as a musician. I have played drum set and world percussion for India.Arie. Percussion brings culture to music. When you play djembe, for example, you are bringing African vibes to music. When you play darbuka, you bring Middle Eastern flavor to music. The Indian tabla and Brazilian pandeiro bring a sense of those countries’ cultures to music. That supports and elevates the music. You can play a certain melody, but the percussion takes you to different parts of the world. Supporting India.Arie has been wonderful. I have had the chance to travel the world, and meet many excellent musicians. She and her band are very pleasant to work with.
You teach at Agnes Scott College. What are some of the challenges and rewards of working with your students?
Teaching at Agnes Scott College is probably the most rewarding experience for me. I say that because teaching them teaches me. Any teaching situation could have some challenges. Through the years, I have learned that as long as I take the time to identify each student’s potential and encourage them, the students will be more interested in what I’m teaching, and they will work hard to make some great music.
You will be performing music from your CD at the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Talk a little about what you will be performing and who will be performing with you?
I am very excited to be performing at the Atlanta Jazz Festival. We will be playing my original compositions and arrangements from my CD The New Anatolian Experience as well as some modern arrangements of some traditional Turkish songs. I have Dr. Jose Manuel Garcia on piano, the one and only Matt Stallard on bass, the incomparable Darren Ginn on electric keyboard, and multi-instrumentalists Marla Feeney on sax, violin, clarinet and flute, and Ali Barr on flugelhorn, trumpet and percussion. These are some of the best musicians I’ve ever played with. It will be a great show.
Franklin Abbott is an Atlanta psychotherapist and poet. Find out more at franklinabbott.com.
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