French jazz guitarist to play in Turkish capital for first time

By Isa Toprak

ANKARA (AA) - French jazz guitarist Bireli Lagrene will take the stage in the Turkish capital Ankara this Saturday, Jan. 21 to give art lovers an unforgettable evening.

Speaking to Anadolu ahead of the concert at CSO Ada Ankara, Lagrene said: “It’s a great country for jazz and there’s a great audience for it. I’ve played several times in Türkiye, mostly Istanbul a few times. I’m really looking forward to playing in Ankara. It’s my first time playing Ankara.”

“When I think of Türkiye I think of history, great food, and a great tradition of music going back centuries,” he added.

Lagrene, who grew up in a family of musicians and started learning the musical ropes at the age of 4, released his first album, Routes to Django, when he was just 13 years old.

Known for his Django Reinhardt style, Lagrene shared the music of his own origins with the album Gipsy Project, which got great acclaim for its version of Live in Vienna.

“Reading music isn’t necessary. It’s not a necessary tool and it (not reading) shouldn’t be considered a handicap,” he explained.

“I know a lot of great and famous musicians such as Allen Holdworth, Wes Montgomery, and George Benson that could read a little and it doesn’t seem to me when I listen to their music that there was something missing.”

“What matters is your ear and not what you put down on paper. Claude Debussy said that music is everywhere except on paper,” he added.