Bassist, composer, and arranger Alper Yilmaz started playing guitar at the age of 10 and took electric bass as his main instrument in 1993. As a bassist, he performed regularly with the most prominent jazz musicians in Turkey during 1993-1995 period, including the Tuna Ötenel and Janusz Szprot Orchestras. As a sideman, he also recorded with Tuna Ötenel in his 1995 record “Sometimes" from Uzelli Records. Around this time, he appeared on several broadcasts on the national Turkish Radio & Television, and he hosted a radio show named “Jam Session” on Radio METU in Ankara, Turkey.
During his studies at University of California, Davis for a Ph.D. in economics (1995-2000), Alper Yılmaz played with the UC Davis Jazz Band. In California, he also performed with the internationally renowned saxophonists Mike McMullen (Dave Liebman, Ray Charles, Randy Brecker, Sonny Fortune, Manhattan Transfer, Diane Schuur, Natalie Cole, Kenny Wheeler) and John Tchicai (John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, John Lennon), as well as guitarist Dave Lynch and many other jazz musicians.
Since his arrival in New York in December 2000, Alper Yılmaz has established himself as a promising and active player of his generation on the local scene. He has attended workshops by John Patitucci, and studied jazz music theory with Matthew Garrison and Adam Rogers. He has also studied improvisation with Antonio Hart, and arrangement and composition with Michael Mossman at the Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music.
Currently, Alper Yılmaz performs regularly with Michael McGinnis and Andy Sanesi in a trio setup. He is also working on an improvisational music project in which he co-leads a band with the New York-based composer and pianist Tolga Tüzün. Alper Yılmaz is going to release his debut recording “Junk Mail” in 2007, featuring Michael McGinnis on soprano saxophone and clarinet, Dave Binney on alto saxophone, Jon Davis on keyboards, and Andy Sanesi on drums.
You can find some samples at
www.alperyilmaz.net website.
Yours faithfully,
Utku.
Alper Yilmaz 
Excuse me, it's very tragic I think! 
