Felling the excitement of Bozcaada Jazz Festival once again… We were on the road again, looking for a reason to visit Bozcaada. When that reason is jazz, everything lines up perfectly.
The festival’s surprise for me was Bobby Rausch. Electronics, winds, lots of bass and groove… It was a great performance during which we couldn’t stay still.
Bidar was the newly discovered talent for many during the second day. I knew her potential because I shared the same stage with her and Boğaziçi Jazz Choir many times. The stage caught fire after a couple of songs and she gave a really enjoyable performance. I felt that it was a well-prepared performance, looking at the harmony between the band members. Bidar mentioned how important Bozcaada Jazz Festival is for them when I talked to her after the concert. They gave it their all. May they have success in their future.
Emir Ersoy’s Rockuba project succeeded in getting everyone on their feet just like they did last year. Volkan Öktem played the drums this time. I listened to Volkan Öktem when he played with Passiflora, and thus I am especially happy when I see him in Latin Jazz projects. They played magnificently as usual.
Barış Demirel (Photo: Bozcaada Caz Festivali)
A lot of members of the audience discovered Barış Demirel on the last day. I listened to him play during Zorlu Jazz Festival before. I liked his compositions which are reminiscent of Ibrahim Maalouf. He combines a maqam-like approach with jazz, ambient and rock. Good that he did. I really enjoyed it.
Pol Belardi was another great surprise. A mixture of jazz and soul, electronics… A band that play like clockwork. They were just the right fit for the stage and the festival.
We stayed until late for Erkan Oğur and got on our way on Monday. I am glad that we did. The more one listens to Erkan Oğur, the better. I closed my eyes and let myself loose in the music and the Bozcaada breeze. I felt as light as a feather, floating above Ayazma.
If you are wondering who else was there, I suggest you take a look at this link: https://www.bozcaadacazfestivali.com/program.html
We are ready for the next year. May summer come, the water surrounding Bozcaada warm up, the jazz festival’s program announced, everyone buys their tickets, may we have sea and sun in the morning and meet at Ayazma Monastery during sunset.
Let’s hold onto music and love…
