One of the most successful drummers in Turkish jazz, Ediz Hafizoglu was born in Bulgaria, Silistra, on September 19, 1980. His first contact with music came from his father, who taught him to play the darbuka and then, at the insistence of his grandfather, he practiced playing the saz. In 1992, he became part of the artistic troupe Sakim Tuna, created precisely by his grandfather Mümyun Musaoğlu, with which he toured festivals in small and large cities around Bulgaria for two years and won many awards. He emigrated to Turkey in 1994 and in high school there he “met” the drums, began to master them, became better and better and was selected for the school band, with which he won many awards. In 2000, Ediz was accepted to the Department of Industrial Design at Mimar Sinan University, where he stayed for 3 years. In parallel with his studies, he began playing professionally in clubs with various groups. When he realized that his only desire was to pursue music, he left this university, then applied and received a full scholarship from the jazz department of Istanbul Bilgi University. He has had the chance to study with Ricky Ford, Donovan Mixon, San Kozlu and Selene Gulyun. He also takes private lessons with Aydin Essen. But it was Ricky Ford who opened the most doors for him – with his orchestra Ediz Hafizoglu participated in many festivals and jazz clubs in Turkey and France, including three nights at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club with great success.
Ediz Hafizoglu “covers” the whole territory from jazz to rock, from metal to experimental music, as well as Balkan folklore. His first album, called “Cheers”, was released in 2014 and captured the attention of both the public and the critics. Four years later, in 2018, his second album titled “13” appeared. The title is not accidental, and it is not only because there are exactly 13 plays in it, but because of the inner power of the number 13. Next came “Üç Türkü” in 2019, “Kuyu” and “Değer İçin” in 2020, and this year Hafizoğlu completed his new EP which is called ‘Paranoia’.