Sait Uçar (read Turkish version here)
Introduction
Sait Uçar, who emerged from the heart of Hamsiköy in Maçka district of Trabzon and captured the enthusiasm of Roma airs with an original synthesis in the timbre of the kemençe, holds a distinct place in the memory of Black Sea music. Starting his career with the album "Tütmezdi Bacaları" published in 1980, and subsequently releasing a total of 26 albums, the artist stood out not only as a performer but as a productive musician who shaped his repertoire with his own compositions and lyrics. The journey beginning at Istanbul Radio and his success in TRT voice and saz exams made Uçar one of the valuable names of the professional stage.
With works like "Zigana Dumanı", "Yalancı", and "Davacıyım Yıllara", interpreting themes of love, longing, and justice, Uçar is known as the first name to bring kemençe art together with Roma music. By carrying his musical vision beyond borders, his collaboration with the Greek-origin kemençe artist Illektra also reflects his universal stance in music. Uçar, who carried his own art from generation to generation with his two kemençe master sons, Mesut and Ömer Uçar, left a big void for both his family and the Black Sea music community with his loss in 2022. Following his passing, the artist, for whom a condolence message was published by Trabzonspor Club, left a legacy that will be carefully preserved in the memory of local music listeners with his original approach and extensive discography.
Biography
Sait Uçar, born on April 3, 1962, in Hamsiköy, Maçka district of Trabzon, is etched in memories as one of the prominent names of Black Sea music and kemençe art. His encounter with music dates back to his early years; Uçar, who started making his first composition during his middle school years, completed his primary and secondary education in Hamsiköy, where he was born and raised, and continued his high school education at Trabzon Trade High School. The artist, who started his professional career at Istanbul Radio, formalized his professional journey by participating in TRT voice and saz exams.
Sait Uçar, who entered the music market with his first album titled "Tütmezdi Bacaları", published by Harika Müzik Yapım in 1980, built a career releasing a total of 26 albums. Uçar, highlighting the feature of using his own compositions and lyrics in his albums, reached a wide audience with works such as "Zigana Dumanı", "Ateşle Oynuyorsun", "Koyun Suyu Bardağa", "Madur Mudur", "Davacıyım Yıllara", "Yalancı", "Tütmezdi Bacaları", "Padişah", "Ah Yayla", and "Sait Niye Ağlattın". "Zigana Dumanı" (2017), "Tuğbaların Tuğbası" (2009), "Beni Kimler Nazlasın?" (2007), and "Davalı", "Keyvan", and "Sanane" albums he released in 2021 have found their place in his discography.
When it comes to Black Sea music, Uçar has played a historical role by being the first artist to bring the kemençe together with Roma airs. This unique synthesis is also reflected in the collaboration he realized with the Greek-origin kemençe artist Illektra in the clip of "Bir Sağdan Bir Sola" in the "Yalancı" album. Throughout his career, he came together with names such as İsmail Türüt, Davut Güloğlu, Hülya Polat, Fadime, Bizim Gönül, Adem Kodalak, and Özkan Pekin.
In the artist's private life, it is noted that he served as a carrier of music as a heritage across generations. Uçar, who is married and a father of two, has sons Mesut Uçar and Ömer Uçar as kemençe masters. The fact that his eldest son continues his conservatory education shows that the family tradition has also established itself on an academic ground. Sait Uçar passed away due to cancer in Istanbul on February 9, 2022. Following his death, the condolence message published by Trabzonspor Club confirmed that the artist was a recognized figure not only in the music world but also in a broader social field.
Style
Sait Uçar's musical stance stands out by bringing a fresh and bold breath to the classical flow of Black Sea music. As a pioneering artist who created a new sound language by combining the kemençe not only as an accompanying instrument but with Roma airs, he carved out a unique place in his repertoire with this synthesis. Possessing a strong technical foundation having passed TRT voice and saz exams, he added a sincere depth to the works by interpreting his compositions and lyrics directly with his own style. His composing ability, which has been ongoing since his middle school years, contains reflections of his own life and feelings in his pieces.
The connection he established with the listener is strengthened by the universal and local dimensions of the themes he chose. While longing for nature and memory is processed with works like "Ah Yayla" and "Tütmezdi Bacaları"; with titles like "Davacıyım Yıllara" and "Yalancı", a voice is raised regarding the difficulties of time and emotional trials. The metaphors in the song titles point to a musical personality that stands against injustice and lies in the world, while feeling love for homeland and nature deeply. The collaboration with Greek kemençe artist Illektra in the "Yalancı" album, where he entered a musical search transcending boundaries, completes the evolutionary aspect of his style as a demonstration of his structure open to challenging musical boundaries. In a comprehensive discography of 26 albums, the artist who brings a modern perspective to traditional Black Sea music with his own compositions is also an example of a journey passing the kemençe legacy to his generations.
Songs and Works
Sait Uçar holds a place in the memory of Black Sea music with his first album "Tütmezdi Bacaları", published under the label Harika Müzik Yapım in 1980. The artist's discography, which includes a total of 26 albums throughout his career, reflects an innovative approach that, while having traditional roots since the years he participated in TRT voice and saz exams, produces his own compositions and lyrics. Starting composition studies in his middle school years, Uçar stood out as a soloist shaping his musical identity with his own words and compositions.
The titles chosen by the artist offer a lyrical journey telling the listener about the nature, longing, and local stories of the Black Sea. While tracks like "Zigana Dumanı", "Ah Yayla", and "Padişah" carry themes of highland longing and geographic identity; under titles like "Davacıyım Yıllara", "Yalancı", and "Sait Niye Ağlattın", universal themes such as love, longing, and the search for justice are processed. Additionally, works like "Ateşle Oynuyorsun" and "Koyun Suyu Bardağa" also constitute an important part of his repertoire.
The "Yalancı" (2004) album in the discography is an example showing the importance the artist gives to musical collaborations. The work realized with the Greek-origin kemençe artist Illektra in the clip "Bir Sağdan Bir Sola" in this album bears traces of a musical synthesis transcending boundaries. With the albums "Davalı", "Keyvan", and "Sanane" he released in 2021, Uçar, who maintained his productivity in the last period of his career, signed collective festival environments and individual concerts with recordings such as "Tuğbaların Tuğbası" in 2009, "Beni Kimler Nazlasın?" in 2007, and "Karadeniz'in Sesi / Kadırga Şenlikleri Vol.1" in 2019. The 2017 release "Zigana Dumanı" album refers to both the representative track and the artist's name with its title, while the 2006 release "Madur Mudur / Neredesin" work also found its place in the records as a significant part of the repertoire of the period. Sait Uçar has left a comprehensive 26-album musical legacy by carrying his pioneering approach of combining the kemençe with Roma airs from generation to generation through these works.
Context
Sait Uçar, who left a deep mark on the Turkish music scene from Maçka district of Trabzon, appears as an important actor in the period when Black Sea music reached mass audiences through album publishing and media since the 1980s. Starting his career with his first album "Tütmezdi Bacaları" published in 1980, the artist opening the doors of TRT Istanbul Radio during the same period shows that he had the professional standards of the music production of that period and the place of radio broadcasting in the social memory. Specifically in Black Sea music and kemençe art, he took his place in our music history as a figure expanding the boundaries of regional music with a pioneering approach known for synthesizing the kemençe with Roma airs.
Having left the musical legacy of a total of 26 albums throughout his career, Uçar stood out not only as a performer but with a productive musician identity that included his own compositions and lyrics in his works with composition studies he started in his middle school years. The artist, who constructed his musical vision to transcend boundaries, offered one of the pioneering examples of musical partnerships transcending cultural boundaries, especially with the collaboration he realized with the Greek-origin kemençe artist Illektra in the "Bir Sağdan Bir Sola" clip in the "Yalancı" album. The master artist, who valued the transfer of art across generations, played a key role in transferring this art form to future generations through his sons Mesut and Ömer Uçar, who are kemençe masters. Sait Uçar, who lost his life in Istanbul on February 9, 2022, is remembered as having a respected place not only in the music world but also in the social memory of the geography he belonged to, being the target of institutional interest such as the condolence message published by Trabzonspor Club after his passing.
Legacy
Sait Uçar holds a special and privileged place in the memory of Black Sea music history as the first artist to bring the kemençe together with Roma airs. In his career journey starting with "Tütmezdi Bacaları" released by Harika Müzik Yapım in 1980, he left a deep mark on the music universe with a total of 26 albums. Not just a performer, but with a composer identity that started composition studies in his middle school years and wrote his own words; through works like "Zigana Dumanı" and "Yalancı", he positioned themes such as love, longing, and the search for justice in his repertoire.
His musical legacy is not limited to discographic numbers but has achieved a sustainable structure by transferring the art to his family from generation to generation. The upbringing of his sons Mesut Uçar and Ömer Uçar as kemençe masters and the eldest son receiving conservatory education is a strong indication that the sound left by Uçar will continue to resonate in the future. Additionally, the collaboration he realized with the Greek-origin kemençe artist Illektra in the "Bir Sağdan Bir Sola" clip in the "Yalancı" album is an important turning point indicating that music seeks a universal language beyond cultural boundaries.
After his passing in 2022, the condolence message published by Trabzonspor Club shows that the artist was loved and remembered not only among local music listeners but also in a broader social segment. Sait Uçar, who found his counterpart in the institutionalized music world by participating in TRT exams and created an original style with his own compositions; is remembered as a pioneer who will be carefully remembered in the cultural memory of Black Sea music with his comprehensive 26-album discography, innovative kemençe interpretation, and art legacy passed within the family.
Frequently Asked Questions
What year and with which first album did Sait Uçar start his career? The artist started his career with the first album titled "Tütmezdi Bacaları" published by Harika Müzik Yapım in 1980.
What does Sait Uçar's musical style stand out with? Uçar is known as the first artist to bring the kemençe together with Roma airs and has carved out a unique place in his musical stance with this unique synthesis.
How many albums are there in the artist's discography in total? Sait Uçar, who released a total of 26 albums throughout his career, maintained his productivity in the last period of his career with recordings like "Davalı", "Keyvan", and "Sanane" in 2021.
How is his musical legacy sustained within his family? The artist transferred this legacy from generation to generation through his sons Mesut Uçar and Ömer Uçar, who are kemençe masters; the fact that his eldest son continues his conservatory education shows that the family tradition has established itself on an academic ground.
What is known about his collaboration with a foreign artist? Among his works challenging the boundaries of music, there is the collaboration he realized with the Greek-origin kemençe artist Illektra in the "Bir Sağdan Bir Sola" clip in the "Yalancı" album.
What are the sources and details of the information regarding Sait Uçar's death? The artist passed away in Istanbul due to cancer on February 9, 2022. Following his death, his recognition in the social field was confirmed by the condolence message published by Trabzonspor Club.