Fifth-grader and jazz pianist phenom Giz Mutlu is pictured with Demarest Elementary School Principal Michael Sullivan
Giz Mutlu is quite the musician.
A fifth-grader at Demarest Elementary School, last summer she became, at 10, the youngest performer ever at Dizzy’s Club, a premier Lincoln Center jazz venue.
“My dad plays guitar and I saw this music school in Nutley and he asked if I wanted to play an instrument,” she said last week at Demarest. “He suggested the piano.”
She was four or five when this happened. But Giz said she understands that practice is important to her dreams.
“I know I have to practice to play on stages and not just tiny schools,” she said, adding that she likes the music of Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock.
She made it to Lincoln Center by way of a Montclair children’s music school and camp called Jazz House Kids. According to her press kit, she was the youngest pupil ever accepted by this prestigious educational organization.
Although only six, Giz knew she wanted to play jazz in the school’s Louis Armstrong Ensemble with the other kids. Summer camp was for a half-day for two weeks. She did this for two years then last year camp expanded into a full day. She also attends during the school year and her press kit includes an artist’s statement.
“I am a Turkish-American jazz pianist dedicated to developing a strong artistic voice rooted in the bebop tradition, creativity, and disciplined musicianship,” it read. “My musical journey began at age five and since then I have focused on deepening my understanding of jazz, expanding my improvisational language and growing as a performer. As I continue to evolve, I hope to collaborate with inspiring musicians, share my sound with diverse audiences, and contribute meaningfully to the jazz community.”
But in addition to jazz practice, Giz said she has a few classical pieces, too.
“I work on them now and then and try to get them out of the way,” she said. “A teacher recommended practicing classical alongside jazz. It may help me with the melody and tempo. I picked an easy song, practicing the melody, for performing with the Jazz House Kids. If there’s a place for it, I might play it and elaborate on it. I just want that one song. I know I can play any genre, but I want it to be jazz. It would be most comfortable for me because I’ve been playing it the longest.”
Her Demarest classmates know she is a special jazz pianist and Giz said she likes this and being unique. But she also likes math, English Language Arts and stories by Raul Dahl.
This month, she will play at Trinity Church in New York City, with the Legacy Big Band, which is part of Jazz House Kids. There will be a performance with a smaller ensemble called Blues and Roots, also under the Jazz House Kids umbrella. She has also performed at The New School and the Newark
Museum and said she was attracted to jazz from when she and her father attended a festival at Jazz House Kids. Giz also plays saxophone in the school band
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