Barbaros Erköse

Barbaros Erköse — Biography

Barbaros Erköse is a Turkish clarinet player, ensemble leader and composer. He improvised within a jazz-like framework and has been described as the first Turkish Roman clarinetist to forge a path for fusion. He also played numerous concerts abroad and made recordings with foreign musicians.

His musical journey began early: he took up the clarinet at nine, began playing at weddings while still in secondary school and left school because of the pace. At twelve he took lessons from Saffet Gündeğer. In Ankara he played fasıl at Şen Tiyatro as an opening to the plays in which İsmail Dümbüllü appeared, and kept this up for five years. In 1955 he passed the entrance examination for Ankara Radio and joined its staff. In 1961 he travelled to Istanbul for an entertainment programme, settled there permanently and began working at Istanbul Radio.

In his Istanbul years he shared the stage with well-known names such as Nesrin Sipahi and Zeki Müren. He recorded with musicians such as Anouar Brahem and Peter Pannke. A documentary project about his career was announced in 2017.