Talip Özkan

Talip Özkan — Biography

Talip Özkan (2 August 1939, Denizli – 27 May 2010, İzmir) was a Turkish folk musician and ethnomusicologist known for his distinctive style on the bağlama and tanbur.

He met Muzaffer Sarısözen in Acıpayam during his high school years, and after arriving at Ankara Radio in 1957 he joined the 'Yurttan Sesler' choir before passing the examinations to become a staff artist; in 1960 he transferred to Istanbul Radio. Over nearly two decades at TRT he took part in field-recording expeditions across eastern and central Anatolia, the Black Sea and Aegean regions. Settling in Paris in 1977, he taught at the Paris Conservatory while completing doctoral research in ethnomusicology at the University of Paris VIII, Nanterre, and from 1976 to 1986 he also performed with 'Golestan de Perse,' an ensemble founded by the Iranian santur player Laurent Galili that introduced Eastern musical traditions to French audiences. Later in his career he taught at the Rotterdam Conservatory.

Özkan recorded numerous albums abroad and left his mark on bağlama technique through folk-song compilations and private teaching. He died of lung cancer in İzmir on 27 May 2010; his funeral was held at Alsancak Hocazade Mosque before he was buried at Urla İskele Cemetery.