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Take Five With Sarpay Ozcagatay

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Meet Sarpay Özçağatay:

Sarpay Özçağatay born in Ankara, Turkey, is a talented flutist, EWI player, composer, performer, and bandleader. Sarpay has performed with many jazz musicians and legends such as Ron Carter, Kevin Eubanks, David Fiuczynski. Terri Lyne Carrington, Eric Gould, Greg Osby, Steve Turre, and many more.


He studied classical flute performance at Hacettepe University State Conservatory in 2002. After his studies at the conservatory he became more interested in jazz. He attended jazz workshops and jam sessions and formed his band in 2007.

He has played in many shows and toured in Turkey with his late jazz band, Be-Tone.

He has performed in many well-known jazz festivals in Turkey including International Ankara Jazz Festival and Istanbul Jazz Festivals.


Sarpay moved to Boston (USA) in order to complete his jazz education in 2009 at the Berklee College of Music, receiving a full student scholarship for Jazz Performance.

He was winner of Billboard Magazine's Scholarship of 2011/12, through the Berklee College of Music.

He graduated on May 2012 and moved to New York City.

Sarpay frequently plays at various jazz clubs in NYC such as Zinc, Fat Cat and Smoke.

He is now pursuing his musical career in New York City with his own band called The Sharp Eye Project.


He recently released his first album called Unexpectable on March 26, 2013.

Sarpay is endorsed by the cutting-edge instrument microphone company, Applied Microphone Technology. He uses an AMT Z1 flute microphone.

Instrument(s):

Flute, alto flute, EWI.

Teachers and/or influences?

Matt Marvuglio, Ed Tomassi, Greg Osby, Jim Odgren, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kevin Eubanks, Kent Jordan, Ron Carter, Eric Gould, David Fiuczynski.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

I was four years old.

Your teaching approach:

Passion.

Your dream band:

Musicians with passion who don't think of money.

Road story: Your best or worst experience:

My best experience was when I had the worst.

The first Jazz album I bought was:

Chick Corea's Friends.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

Using the flute itself in all situations in music in order to create new things. Leading towards new things and contributing.

CDs you are listening to now:

Anything that sounds good.

How would you describe the state of jazz today?

Based on money, which is sad.

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