Ergüven Başaran (1936–2025) began his professional music career in 1961 and occupied a significant place in the history of jazz and popular music in Türkiye throughout a career spanning more than five decades.

Başaran, who was the irreplaceable sax player for pop divas of the 1970s such as Ajda Pekkan, Nil Burak, and Nazan Şoray, has also worked with the famous arranger of the time, Osman İşmen. He made his start in music by taking clarinet lessons from Tevfik Çelen and Salih Durutaş, alto saxophone lessons from Celal Bozsay, and harmony lessons from Şerif Yüzbaşıoğlu.

In 1963, he started playing with the Kadri Ünalan Orchestra which led to his tenures as a saxophone player with various orchestras that were highly instrumental in western style pop music taking root in Turkey, such as Çetin İnöntepe, Selim Özer, Aydemir Mete, Mete Duruman, and Süheyl Denizci, resulting in countless concerts at the most prestigious clubs across the country.

Başaran was faced with making a decision that could mark a turning point in his life in 1974; an opportunity to go to Sweden with Emin Fındıkoğlu. However, around the exact same time, he heard that the Istanbul Municipal Theatre Orchestra was looking for a saxophone player. Instead of embarking on an adventure abroad full of unknowns, he decided to enter the exams and ended up being the first placed applicant by receiving full marks from the jury panel.

For many years, he was a part of the Eurovision Orchestra established by the public network TRT in 1975. He also started playing with the TRT Radio and Jazz Orchestra under Ümit Aksu.

He was a part of the 69-piece orchestra which took the stage at the inaugural International Music Festival in 1976, where he met Arif Mardin, who encouraged him praising his baritone saxophone playing skill by likening it to that of an African American player.

Between 1982 and 2002, he worked with TRT Istanbul Big Band which was founded by Süheyl Denizci. In 1993, along with İmer Demirer and Neşet Ruacan, he was a part of the Turkey-Poland Mixed Jazz Orchestra. He played as a guest musician with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra between 1980 and 1999.

In 2003, he accepted an offer from the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and played for Kiss Me Kate and West Side Story.
He was the founder of Istanbul Saxophone Quartet, the first group of its kind in Turkey. He performed at various Istanbul Jazz Festival events such as Jazz Boat and Tünel Feast with Istanbul Saxophone Quartet and his latest project Swing UNLTD.

Swing UNLTD, founded by Ergüven Başaran in 2013, became one of the most significant projects of the later years of his career. The ensemble featured Ergüven Başaran on saxophone, Şenova Ülker on trumpet, Nejat Dayıoğlu on trombone, Elvan Aracı on piano, Nezih Yeşilnil on double bass, and Veysel Çadır on drums.

As part of the 23rd Istanbul Jazz Festival, Ergüven Başaran received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Award Ceremony held at the Austrian Cultural Office Garden on 11 July 2016. Following the ceremony, he appeared with his latest project, Swing UNLTD.