Hakan Ali Toker - Toker Messing Around...with the Classics ;) (2019)

What happens when you stop taking yourself--and your music--so seriously? Sometimes, the abandonment of rigidity can result in a performance that is more impressive, and memorable, than before. Turkish pianist Hakan Toker proves this point in Toker Messing Around, where he takes some well-known melodies from sources all across the map--and adds his own twist and flare. Hakan Toker was born in a southern Turkish town called Mersin in 1976. He holds a BM from Indiana University School of Music, where he studied piano, composition, jazz, and electronic music. To date, he has performed in 28 countries, both solo and alongside other artists. He has shared the stage with many masters of Eastern and Western music; he has collaborated with various groups, singers, dancers, poets, and jugglers, He has done classical and improvised recitals, informative concerts, music for silent films, multi-media, and musical-comedy shows.