Orhan Demir (; born 1954 in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

jazz guitarist Jazz guitarists are guitarists who play jazz using an approach to chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines that is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist (rhythm guitar) and soloist in small and large ens ...

. His first release in 1986 "The way I see You" second release is in 1987 "North West", third album was in 1989 "Windmill" in 1990 solo acoustic album "Sultan of Strings", followed by "Hot Cargo" in 1993, "Originals" in 1997, and "Guitar Plus" in 1998, Originals Vol.2 in 2018, Freedom in Jazz in 2019, Freedom in Jazz Vol.2 in 2020, Ziggurat DVD in 2021. Orhan Demir recordings received great reviews from Jazz Times, Down Beat, Guitar World, Cadence, Options, Coda, Jazz Journal and others.

Brief Biography

Demir, born September 29, 1954, in

, immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1977. His albums were cited by respected magazines such as ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

''. Orhan Demir's style is an interesting blend of Be-Bop rhythms set against a middle-eastern scale played with a fast picking technique. He has been compared to

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...

Musicians

*Orhan Demir - guitar * Neil Swainson - acoustic bass * Barry Elmes - drums * Rick Lazaroff - electric bass * Jack Vorvis - drums * Thomas Oreynicki - bass * Francois Briere - t. saxophone * Perry Pansieri - drums

Selected discography

* The Way I See You (1986) * Northwest (1988) * Windmill (1989) * Sultan Of Strings (1990) * Hot Cargo (1993) * Guitar Plus (1998) * Originals (1997) * Originals Vol.2, (2018) * Freedom in Jazz, (2019) * Freedom in Jazz, Vol.2 (2020) * Ziggurat in 2021. * Freedom in Jazz, Vol. 3 (2023).

References

External Links: * Orhan Demir's Official Website: http://orhandemir.org * Barry Elme
Cornerstone Records artist page
* Neil Swainso

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demir, Orhan 1954 births Living people Canadian jazz guitarists Canadian male guitarists Musicians from Istanbul Turkish emigrants to Canada Canadian male jazz musicians