İlham Gencer
The Grand Pera Ballroom, which hosted unforgettable balls and concerts throughout its more than 120-year history, now celebrates the 90th birthday of maestro jazz pianist İlham Gencer. Ilham Gencer, thanks to his natural talent, wrote his first composition at the age of 5. During the 1940s he formed the first local jazz band of the period; a trio of piano, clarinet and voice and, starting from the 1960s, he hosted radio programmes on Istanbul Radio for 14 years. The “Çatı Kulübü” (Roof Club), which he opened in Şişli, was, with his own words, “some sort of a private Turkish conservatory”. Here, he introduced many singers to the music industry, including Ajda Pekkan, Cem Karaca, Füsun Önal, and Emel Sayın. He describes his love for music as such... “How wonderful music is! I want to make music until I die and that’s why I don't want to die!”.
Piano: Evren Karakul
Double Bass: Ozan Musluoğlu
Drums: Kerem Yüce
Saxophone: Yahya Dai
Vocal: İpek Dinç Yüce
Vocal & Piano: İlham Gencer