Atilla Engin

Atilla Engin (b. 1946 Kayseri Turkey) is a Turkish American fusion jazz musician. From 1974 to 2001 he was active in Denmark as a musician and educator; he organized music festivals and represented Denmark as a musical ambassador. In 2001, he left Denmark for the United States, where he formed an orchestra.

Recording and teaching in Copenhagen
Engin first played and recorded in Istanbul, moving to Copenhagen in 1974, and playing with several groups. He released his first album Turkish Delight with the band Matao. They performed at Roskilde Festival in 1979. His other group, "Atilla Engin Group", released five albums. While he was recording and touring with his band, he also taught at the Copenhagen Jazz Conservatory, for four years. Engin formed a band with 12 Copenhagen Jazz Conservatory students and they toured Turkey. This project ended with a joint concert with The Istanbul Radio Big Orchestra at The Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul.

In 1985 Engin was awarded the title Composer of The Year in Denmark. In the same year, the Atilla Engin Group was appointed as Denmark's cultural ambassador to represent the country in conjunction with the European Music Year 1985.

Engin established the World to World Drums And Percussion Festival in Copenhagen. Engin formed this festival in Copenhagen, with events taking place in Aarhus and Malmö, Sweden. The festival included performances by Zakir Hussain, Airto Moreira, Nana Vasconcelos, Peter Giger, Danny Gottlieb, and others. He participated in an international festival in India, Tal Vadhya Utsav, in India.

Tyrkis
He taught an evening class of 16 young musicians at the Rhythmic Evening School in Copenhagen in 1984, turning them into a band named Tyrkis which performed at Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. In 1987, Tyrkis won first prize at the Dortmunder Big Band Festival in Germany and released an album, My Little Chinese Love.

Move to the United States
He left Denmark in 1989 for New York, and formed the New World Orchestra and a six-piece group, Turquoise. Engin left the US for Brazil in 2005.

Discography

 * Felek Usta, 1971 Evren Records Turkey (Music, arrangement, vocals: Atilla Engin, Lyrics: Ömer Hayyam)
 * Kumsalda, 1974 Yonca Records Turkey (Vocals: Özdemir Erdoğan (Lyrics, music, arrangement, drums, piano: Atilla Engin)
 * Bütün İçkiler Benden Bu Gece, 1974 Yonca Records  Vocals: Alpay (Lyrics, music, arrangement: Atilla Engin)
 * Turkish Delight, Group Matao, 1979 RA Records Denmark
 * ''Atatürk’s Children and Nasrettin Hoca, 1980 Fairytale Denmark
 * Solens Børn, with Ariel(19), 1980 Pick Up Records
 * Nazar, Atilla Engin Group, 1982 Danish Music Productions
 * Memories, Atilla Engin Group (including Okay Temiz on percussion, Hugo Rasmussen on bass, Jens Winther on trumpet) 1984 Danish Music Productions
 * Marmaris Love, Atilla Engin Group (with Okay Temiz), 1986 Danish Music Productions
 * No Money No Honey, Atilla Engin Group (with Arto Tunçboyacıyan), Danish Music Productions
 * My Little Chinese Love, Tyrkis Big Band conducted by Atilla Engin, Stunt Records Denmark
 * Melo Perquana, Atilla Engin Group (with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen), 1988 Olufsen Records Denmark
 * Mosaic of Anatolia, Group Turquoise, 1999 Istanbul Records New York
 * Moon Dog Girl by the Noodle Shop (John Kruth, Elliott Sharp, Atilla Engin and Jonathan Segel) 1999 Sparkling Beatnik Records
 * Ocean of Emotion, The İstanbul Orchestra — Group Turquoise — Atilla Engin, 2009 Indie