Istanbul Jazz Festival opens with ceremony

ISTANBUL

Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the 24th Istanbul Jazz Festival kicked off on July 4 with an opening ceremony and concerts at the Consulate General of Austria and the Austrian Cultural Office Garden.

On the opening night, the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Kamil Özler, the conductor of TRT Big Band, and Fatih Erkoç, one of the veteran names of Turkish pop and jazz music. 

Following the ceremony, Erkoç took the stage for a special concert before leaving the stage to the Balkan-rooted electro swing band DELADAP from Austria. 

The festival will continue on July 7 at Beykoz Kundura, an old shoe factory, with the founder of West Coast Get Down Collective, bass guitarist, vocalist and composer Miles Mosley. He will perform his latest solo album “Uprising” in the concert. 

The festival will host leading names and new discoveries from the world of jazz as well as the stars of contemporary music with more than 200 names in 20 different venues around Istanbul until July 21.

The free-of-charge open-air event “Jazz in the Parks” will be at Fenerbahçe Khalkedon on July 9, featuring selected young jazz groups and the vintage Spanish swing outfit Mastretta in one of the most beautiful spots of Istanbul.