Alper Yilmaz
Bassist, composer, and arranger Alper Yilmaz was born in Diyarbakir in 1969 and started playing the guitar at the age of ten. He received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Middle East Technical University in 1991. He established himself as a jazz musician through performances both with the Tuna Ötenel and Janusz Szprot Orchestras, and with his trio, High Density. He played fretless electric bass in Tuna Ötenel's album Sometimes (Uzelli Records, 1995). While preparing for a Ph.D. in Economics at University of California, Davis, Yilmaz played with the UC Davis Jazz Band. During this time, he also performed with internationally renowned saxophonist Mike McMullen, John Coltrane alumni John Tchicai, and guitarist Dave Lynch. At the American River College Jazz Festival in 2000, he was granted the "Outstanding Performance" award. Since his arrival in New York in December 2000, Yilmaz has established himself as an active player on the local scene, attended workshops by John Patitucci, and studied with Matthew Garrison and Adam Rogers. He is currently at the Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music, where he has studied improvisation with Antonio Hart, and arrangement and composition with Michael Mossman.