Gurkan Ozkan
Tapadum’s Percussions Curator, Tabla Maker & Performer Izmir-based percussionist and tabla maker, Gurkan Ozkan leads Tapadum’s percussions department. Since 2008, he has performed in more than thirty countries — from Portugal to India, from Russia to Oman — collaborating with ensembles such as Alkindi, Sufizen Project, and Ky Project, and recording with artists including Ibrahim […]
Tapadum’s Percussions Curator, Tabla Maker & Performer
Izmir-based percussionist and tabla maker, Gurkan Ozkan leads Tapadum’s percussions department. Since 2008, he has performed in more than thirty countries — from Portugal to India, from Russia to Oman — collaborating with ensembles such as Alkindi, Sufizen Project, and Ky Project, and recording with artists including Ibrahim Maalouf, Giovanni Hidalgo, Natasha Atlas, Keyvan Chemirani, Sezen Aksu, and Tuluyhan Uğurlu, among many others. His work appears on albums recorded in Canada, Switzerland, France, Greece, and Japan.
In 2016, Gurkan published An Introduction to the Art of Tabla — the first book written in Turkish on the instrument, a reflection of his commitment to making the rhythmic traditions of South Asia accessible to Turkish musicians and listeners.
A maker as well as a performer, Gurkan builds tablas by hand and brings a maker’s understanding to every instrument he selects for the Tapadum collection. His own playing blends the usuls of Anatolia with rhythms gathered from the wider traditions he has studied — a distinct voice that has earned him recognition as a leading percussion artist.
“Every tradition I have learned reshapes the way I hear my own. The usuls I play today belong to no single place — they are what remains after a long journey.”
Specialty
Tabla · Darbuka · Frame Drum · Percussion
Credentials
Author of “An Introduction to the Art of Tabla” (2016) — the first book on the instrument written in Turkish.
Based in
Izmir, Turkey
Languages
Turkish · English