Jazz Festival continues with famous musicians

ISTANBUL

Stefano Bollani and Hamilton De Hollanda are some of the highlights of the festival.

The Istanbul Jazz Festival may be entering its final week, but there is still time to catch some of the biggest acts in the genre, including Stefano Bollani, Chano Dominguez and many more.

One of the rising stars of the jazz world in recent years, Bollani will be on the stage of the Archaeology Museum with Hamilton de Holanda – known as the “Jimi Hendrix of the bandolim” on July 15. From classical music and jazz to Brazilian music and pop-rock, his music defies any limits. Bollani is also acclaimed for his collaborations with Enrico Rava.

In his music, Barcelona pianist Dominguez fuses jazz with flamenco in an exciting way. In his 2012 album “Flamenco Sketches,” Dominguez adopted a flamenco-styled approach to create new music around Miles Davis’ historical record “Kind of Blue.” In his Istanbul concert, Dominguez will perform songs from his highly praised album, together with a flamenco dancer and singer on July 17.

Meanwhile, the festival is also continuing with the “Young Jazz” Concert Series, which forms a platform enabling young musicians and ensembles to take part in the program of the event. In this series, Istanbul-based U.S. jazz trumpeter Lloyd Chisholm is hosting alto saxophone virtuosos Nicolas Dary and Luigi Grasso. A rising talent, jazz vocalist Ece Göksu will host one of the most sought-after harmonica players of the world, Grégoire Maret. They will perform songs from Göksu’s debut album, “Masal.”

On July 29 at 9:30 p.m., Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Stage will host a John Legend concert. One of the best singer-songwriters of R&B and soul in his generation, nine-time Grammy winner Legend is in Istanbul for the first time as part of a world tour for his new album.

On July 16 at Cemil Reşit Rey Concert Hall Deutsche Philharmonie Merck, a competent and independent orchestra led by conductor, pianist, composer and arranger Wolfgang Heinzel will present the project “Teatime at the Savoy” together with Opera Swing Quartet and pianist Kerem Görsev.
 
Film screening at Istanbul Modern

A gala for “Jazz in Turkey” directed by Batu Akyol, a documentary which focuses on the history of jazz music in Turkey, will also be screened on July 14. The documentary was compiled from a set of interviews with many prominent names in the genre in both Turkey and overseas, as well as from archival recordings. The screening will be at the Istanbul Modern Museum.

One of the favorite venues of the festival, Istanbul Modern is taking part in the festival with a surprise event. Initiated by Istanbul Modern in collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and MoMA PS1 in New York, the “YAP Istanbul Modern: Young Architects Program” is held biannually during the summer, offering young emerging architects the opportunity to design a temporary installation in Istanbul Modern’s courtyard.

The program’s aim is to encourage architects to address environmental issues such as sustainability, reuse, and recycling, and to explore innovative design ideas providing elements of shade, water, and seating that would increase the possibilities of use in open-air spaces. Providing a popular urban venue for the summer, these designs are expected to protect visitors from the heat of the city, host diverse events, and create intimate social spaces for city-dwellers – all within a modest budget and through reasonable architectural solutions.