Medicine and music

In the summer of 1986, Çağlayan Yıldız travelled through an international medical-student exchange programme. An acceptance from Kraków enabled him to obtain visas for Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland. In their squares he joined musicians playing folk, jazz, blues and rock. Making music with people whose languages he did not speak became one of the journey’s lasting experiences.

An American saxophonist named Frank, whom he met in Budapest, later visited İzmir. That encounter connected the journey to a new musical circle. Frank gave him his first theory lesson, bringing modes, major-scale harmonisation and II-V-I relationships together on a single sheet. Trio performances with Mahmut Yalay led to further bar work with Tevfik Akbaşlı and Yavuz Darıdere. Yıldız also began giving private lessons in 1986. Learning, playing together and teaching continued alongside his medical studies.

He had decided in his third year of medicine to devote his life to music. He nevertheless completed the course and graduated as a medical doctor from Ege University’s Faculty of Medicine in 1990. After receiving his diploma, he chose music as his profession. In his account, he was following a decision made as a student rather than suddenly changing direction on graduation day. Working within Turkey’s healthcare system was also outside the life he wanted.

A coffee stain in the Real Book

Yıldız photocopied the Real Book that Frank brought to İzmir. In his recollection, many of the copies circulating in the city descended from that book, carrying the same coffee stain on their opening pages.

A brief street performance

When Yıldız and Frank began playing in an İzmir street, the municipal police stopped them. But the short performance had already brought bassist Mahmut Yalay over to meet them. They then approached bars they knew and began performing as a trio.