Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) for 27 years and sponsored by Garanti BBVA for 23 years, with support from the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Istanbul Jazz Festival’s 27th edition ended on 3 November.
The 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival was postponed from July to September/October due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Festival events took place in open-air venues from 2–12 September. Recordings of the festival concerts, which were held against the phenomenal backdrop of the Bosphorus, were streamed on İKSV’s digital platform, online.iksv.org between 3 October and 3 November, for festival audiences who wished to enjoy the events on their screens.
The festival featured more than 20 concerts performed by more than 125 musicians in five different venues in Istanbul. The concerts were held with half-capacity and seated in accordance with COVID-19 measures.
The festival concerts were attended and viewed by almost 26,500 people.
Istanbul Jazz Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Awards
The 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to two veteran names, Atakan Ünüvar, the esteemed jazz musician who adopts music as a lifestyle, and the world-famous clarinet player Barbaros Erköse. This year, with COVID-19 measures in mind, the awards were delivered to the artists without any ceremony.
Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey
Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey supports local musicians in their global outreach. This year, the event was held online with the support of +1. A group of international delegates composed of leading representatives from the international music industry and journalists enjoyed the musicians’ performances in eight concerts that took place from 7–9 September.
Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey was developed to enhance intercultural dialogue through jazz and contemporary music. The rapid development of music production in Turkey and the multitude of recently emerging musicians have led to new projects not only in Turkey but also in the international arena, attracting great interest and demand. This productive environment in the local music industry has motivated the Istanbul Jazz Festival to offer an effective international platform for emerging artists.
For more information about Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey, visit: caz.iksv.org/en/vitrin-showcase
Highlights of the festival
The many remarkable local musicians and ensembles who took to the festival stage included Kardeş Türküler and their guests Tuluğ Tırpan and Elina Duni; world-renowned BaBa ZuLa; musician and producer Tolga Böyük’s independent music project Islandman; a team of Turkey’s most acclaimed jazz musicians Selen Gülün Quintet feat, Sibel Köse & Ece Göksu; the talented musician renowned for his song-writing and arrangements for other artists, Can Güngör; Andalusia Trio with their oriental tunes; MANOUCHE A LA TURCA feat, from one of the best guitarists and composers of his generation, Bilal Karaman; Muhammed Yıldırır & Ramazan Sesler; Jülide Özçelik with her ”Turkish music with universal standards”; neo-classical composer and pianist and one of the Young Jazz finalists Büşra Kayıkçı; Ayyuka, with psychedelic interpretations from Anatolia; Yasak Helva, renowned for their international outreach; Pitohui a group that expands its multi-layered musical universe with electronic touches; one of the most inventive musicians of the new generation Make Mama Proud; a brilliant musician known for her original lyrics and powerful vocals, Tuğçe Şenoğul; Guguou’s popular sounds enriched by electronic tones, and the quartet of the talented pianist Bilge Günaydın.
Listen to the 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival playlist on Spotify:
play.spotify.com/user/istanbulkultursanatvakfi
Jazz in the Parks
The admission-free open-air event, Jazz in the Parks, brought jazz music to various parks in Istanbul, Şişli Habitat Park and Beşiktaş Sanatçılar Parkı (Artists Park).
Saynur Eren Quartet, An Quartet, Güneş Özgeç and Kam joined the festivities at Habitat Park with their music on the first day of Jazz in the Parks. Seda Erciyes & JmH, Duble Salih and Deli Bakkal performed at Beşiktaş Sanatçılar Parkı on the second day of the event. The Jazz in the Parks concerts were attended by almost 3,000 people.
You can enjoy the highlights of the festival stage on İKSV’s YouTube account.
Supporters of the 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival
The 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival was organised with the generous support of the Festival Sponsor Garanti BBVA, as well as a number of other organisations. The series sponsorship for Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey was kindly provided by +1.
The festival was also made possible by the automotive sponsorship of Volvo Car Turkey and the valuable contributions of Anadolu Efes and Mastercard.
The 27th Istanbul Jazz Festival also received support from the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Beyoğlu Municipality, Beşiktaş Municipality, Beylikdüzü Municipality and Şişli Municipality. The festival would also like to thank Feriye, The Marmara Esma Sultan Mansion and Sultan Park Swissôtel The Bosphorus for their valuable collaboration.
The Founding Sponsor of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts is Eczacıbaşı Group; the Official Hotel Sponsor is The Marmara Group; the Insurance Sponsor is Zurich Sigorta; Digital Content Security Service Sponsor is Digiguardians; the Health Service Sponsor is American Hospital, and other service sponsors of IKSV are Navitas, GFK, AGC Software, Loodos Tech and OMD.
