He graduated from the Jazz Performance program at the New School Jazz Academy in New York in 1996. During his 17 years in the United States, he performed at world-renowned jazz clubs such as 55 Bar, Birdland, Bottom Line, Village Vanguard, Knitting Factory, and Auggie’s. His first album released in Turkey in 2007, *Gamzelim*, was described by *Sound on Sound* magazine critics as “played and recorded with virtuosity.” In June 2011, he released *Turkish Standards Vol. 1* with the Yavuz Akyazıcı Project; around the start of 2012, he released the album *Bridge*—comprising mostly original compositions—in which he also interpreted two popular songs, “Sway” and “House of the Rising Sun.” He released *Turkish Standards Vol. 2* in 2014 and, and in 2015, released “Live At Panonnica.”