Presented by: Eternal Music

Emam and Friends Web Site

Latif Bolat (Baglama, Vocals) Click on the pictures to get a larger (higher resolution) version. Listen to music samples featuring Latif Bolat: From concert in Portland (OR) Medly in Makam Ussak - Part1 Medly in Makam Ussak - Part2 Singer, Composer and Scholar of Turkish Music and Folklore One of the most well-known Turkish musicians in the USA, Latif Bolat plays Turkish Folk Music and devotional Sufi songs, called Ilahi and Nefes, from the Anatolian peninsula. Accompanying himself on baglama (Turkish long-necked lute), Latif sings of love and spirit, with many songs featuring the lyrics of the great 13th century mystical poets Rumi and Yunus Emre. "Latif Bolat is a Turkish music envoy in America." Hurriyet (Istanbul-Turkey) "His walnut hued voice rolls without effort, causing many in the crowd to lower their heads in supplication." San Francisco Weekly "Bolat is a master of timeless Turkish music." Tuscon Citizen Latif Bolat is a native of the Turkish Mediterranean town of Mersin. After receiving his degree in folklore and music at Gazi University in Ankara, Turkey, he taught traditional music throughout Eastern Anatolia. He then went on to manage a musical theater company, Ankara Halk Tiyatrosu, which performed traditional musical plays. Now residing in the USA, Latif is one of the most distinguished Turkish musicians in the country. With a vast repertory that includes songs in classical, folk and Sufi music styles, he accompanies himself on the baglama (long-necked lute), and various other traditional instruments from the Turkish folk music tradition. His recent performance and teaching engagements include: Soundtrack for George Lucas Studios TV series "Young Indiana Jones" Concerts at the United Nations, U. of California at Berkeley, University of Chicago, Ohio State University, Indiana University, North Carolina State University, Georgia Tech, UCLA, Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, University of Southern California, Louisiana State University, San Francisco State University, University of Washington, Oregon State University, Texas Technical University, San Jose State University, University of Utah, Sacramento State University, Sonoma State University, Arizona State University, University of South Carolina, Claremont College, University of Hawaii, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Clemson University in S. Carolina, Young Harris College in Georgia, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Washington University at St. Louis, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Denver, College of Santa Fe, Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaigne, Sacramento City College, University of Arizona, Cleveland State University, Florida International University, Drexel University, Northeastern University, Brigham Young University. Lectures and conferences at UC Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Washington, UC Santa Barbara, Indiana University, Ohio State University, San Jose State University, Claremont College, Sacramento City College, the College of the Redwoods, Texas Technical University, World Affairs Council of SF and Columbia/South Carolina, Seattle Community College, Evergreen State College in Washington, Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, Claymont Institute in Virginia, Ankara State Conservatory in Turkey, California State University at Hayward. Live appearances at Channel 9 TV and KLSU Radio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, KPFA, KLAW, KKUP, KUSF, KQED around the San Francisco Bay Area, KDVS and KXJZ in Sacramento, KUNM in New Mexico, NPR stations in Maui and Kauai and Radio Club in Istanbul/Turkey. Repeated performances at San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, as well as at Forest Meadows Music Festival, Cabrillo Music Festival in Santa Cruz, First Night Monterey Festival, Kolo Dance Festival in San Francisco, Pacific Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle, EXPO i86 in Vancouver, Canada, International Sufism Symposium in San Francisco, Salt Lake City International Art Festival, First Night Tacoma Festival in Washington, Port Angeles Festival in Washington State, Lotus Festival in Bloomington/Indiana, World Music Festival at U. of Colorado at Boulder, Monterey World Music Festival and Rumi Festival in Vancouver/Canada. Latif Bolat has recently been touring from Vermont to Louisiana, from Utah to Hawaii, performing in many different settings such as university concert halls to open air festivals. He has also been in the teaching staff of the Mendocino Middle Eastern Music Camp and Honolulu Music and Dance Camp. During his visits to his homeland, Turkey, Latif performed and lectured at various radio stations and cultural institutions and conservatories in Istanbul and Ankara. The California Art Council rewarded Latif with a grant in 1991 for his contributionsto the preservation of Turkish folk music. He serves as musical director for the Mevlevi Association of America "Whirling Dervishes", a sufi organization which stages public performances of movement with live Turkish classical music. For ore information on Latif Bolat, please visit his web site: www.latifbolat.com