Jazz state of the city begins

ISTANBUL

The Akbank Jazz Festival, one of the longest-running festivals in Turkey, is celebrating its 27th year. The festival, which has brought together a gamut of prestigious names of the jazz world such as Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Smith, Enrico Rava, John Scofield & Joe Lovano, Manu Katché and David Sanborn, will illuminate the different colors of jazz all over the city between Nov. 3 and 19.

Among the stars to take the stage this year, some of the names are: Abdullah Ibrahim, a chief composer-pianist of modern jazz, Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya and Hugh Masekela, consisting of Ekaya resurrecting the soul of The Jazz Epistles - the first all-black bebop jazz group of South Africa - and Hugh Masekela, another jazz icon of South Africa, Vanessa Rubin, one of the great international ambassadors of jazz, Ala.Ni, whose songs have been listened to over 2.5 million times on digital platforms to date, Wolfgang Muthspiel, a jazz guitarist who left marks on his generation, Ecuadorian producer and musician Nicola Cruz, British producer and musician Bonobo, Norwegian tuba player and composer  Daniel Herskedal, instrumentalist and composer Marius Neset, one of the 25 young jazz musicians who are expected to steer the future of jazz, Amina Figarova Sextet, who combine classical music discipline with moving rhythms and bright harmonies, Cuban jazz pianist and composer Alfredo Rodríguez, American drummer and producer Mark Guilliana, British saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings with The Ancestors, consisting of South African musicians, and Red Baraat, one of the important names of Mop Mop and Acid Jazz, combining post-modern jazz style with funk, Afro rhythms and exotic sounds. The festival, which will host Kenan Doğulu and Sattas under the innovative projects section, will bring together many new Turkish talents such as Emin Fındıkoğlu, İlhan Erşahin, Baki Duyarlar, Çağıl Kaya, Çağrı Sertel and Şenay Lambaoğlu as well as talents of the new generation such as Evrencan Gündüz and Hakan Başar with music lovers. 

The “Jazz at Campus” concerts, which have become a festival classic now, will continue this year. One of the most important events of the festival, Jazz at Campus will run from Nov. 20 to Dec. 1, bringing together vocalist, lyricist and poet Jehan Barbur with university students to share the spirit and enthusiasm of jazz in the provinces of Muğla, İzmir, Eskişehir, Bolu, Adana, Mersin, Kayseri and Ankara. 

Another important event of the festival, Jazz Workshops at High Schools will also be held free of charge in eight separate high schools on Nov. 8, 9, 16 and 17 this year, which offers opportunity for young people to get to know jazz music and instruments better.

As part of its corporate social responsibility activities, Akbank continues to work on the “The Good State of the City” project that they have been pursuing with their employees for many years, to provide young people volunteer projects. Some 1,000 young people who volunteer for the public benefit projects this year will have the opportunity to go to the Bonobo concert at Volkswagen Arena on Nov. 11.  

The festival, the organization and content programming of which was prepared in cooperation with Pozitif, will feature 53 concerts, three interviews and 15 workshops in 36 different venues including Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, Akbank Sanat, Babylon, Volkswagen Arena, The Seed, Caddebostan Cultural Center, Moda Stage, Summart Art Center, Nardis and Zorlu Performing Arts Center. 

Tickets for the 27th Akbank Jazz Festival concerts can be bought on Mobilet.