Rich Wheeler tenor saxophone • Jeff Harshbarger bass • Beau Bledsoe oud, guitar • Brandon Draper percussion

Alaturka was formed in 2009 with the vision of creating an equal “auditory handshake” between two musical cultures, American jazz and Turkish classical music. Founder and director Beau Bledsoe joined with three of Kansas City’s most acclaimed jazz musicians, Rich Wheeler Brandon Draper and Jeff Harshbarger, to form a quartet in which both cultures are treated with equal respect. The collaboration has resulted in an intriguing new sound that has garnered the ensemble multiple invitations to perform throughout the U.S. and abroad. In 2013, Alaturka’s second recording, “Yalniz” (Tzigane Music) received 4.5 stars in Downbeat Magazine.