From ego to joy through beauty.
Yavuz Akyazıcı’s music explores jazz as a shared search for beauty — where connection and expression matter more than competition.
After completing his jazz studies at The New School Jazz Program in New York, Akyazıcı spent 17 years immersed in the city’s jazz scene, performing in clubs such as Birdland, Smalls, 55 Bar, and the Knitting Factory. During this period, he collaborated and shared the stage with artists including Patricia Barber, Billie Harper, Matt Wilson, and Eric Person, while appearing at international jazz festivals.
Upon returning to Turkey, he launched the Turkish Standards project, reimagining well-known Turkish pop songs through the harmonic language and aesthetic of classic American jazz standards. The albums Turkish Standards Vol.1, Vol.2, and Vol.3 attracted wide attention and were featured by NPR.
Alongside his work as a performer, composer, and arranger, Akyazıcı has increasingly focused on jazz education. Through his YouTube channel and his teaching platform Jazz-A-Minute (J.A.M.), he shares a clear, practical approach to jazz language and improvisation designed for musicians across different instruments.
Today, he continues to balance live performance, recording projects, and teaching — bringing together artistic expression and education as complementary parts of his musical life, and creating spaces where listeners and students can share in the joy of music together.