“Approaching the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival: Panels and Conversations” series will take place in four different venues before the festival starts, bringing together experienced musicians, music writers and professionals in the sector with the younger generations.
Istanbul Jazz Festival is organized by Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) with the sponsorship of Garanti Bank and aims to bring together the awe inspiring names in jazz, funk, world music and rock between 26 June-17 July. The festival, set to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, will host a series of panels that will take place in four different venues in the city.
The series, called “Approaching the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival: Panels and Conversations” will revolve around the venues and festivals that keep jazz alive in Istanbul, and expert and young generation musicians, music writers and professionals of the sector will discuss the past, present and future of jazz. These panels and conversations will be free and registration is mandatory through rezervasyon.iksv.org.
Zuhal Focan (Photo: Duran Akyar)
Panel 1: Jazz Life in Istanbul
5 May, 16.30-18.30, Nardis Jazz Club
Moderator: Zuhal Focan
Participants: Eren Noyan (The Badau), Turgay Demiryürek (Kaset Mitanni), Feridun Ertaşkan (Cazkolik)
The panel will seek out to answer “How is jazz experienced in Istanbul? Is there enough space for jazz in the city? What is the jazz map of the city like and what should be done to expand it?”. The venue of the event is Nardis Jazz Club, the first name that comes to mind when jazz clubs in Istanbul is concerned for more than 10 years. The participants will be Eren Noyan, the founder of The Badau which opened its doors in Kadıköy Yeldeğirmeni in 2015, Turgay Demiryürek from Kaset Mitanni, a beloved meeting place for jazz lovers in Beşiktaş and music writer Feridun Ertaşkan from Cazkolik. They will discuss sustainability in a constantly-changing city like Istanbul, the jazz experience in the city, the audience, the artists and their relationship with the venues. Zuhal Focan, the owner of Nardis Jazz Club, will moderate the panel.
Emin Fındıkoğlu (Photo: Tunçel Gülsoy)
Panel 2: History of Jazz Festivals in Istanbul (From the 1980s to the 2000s)
19 May, 15.00-17.00, The Badau
Moderator: Orhan Tekelioğlu
Participants: Emin Fındıkoğlu (Bilsak Caz Festivali), Görgün Taner (İKSV), Ahmet Uluğ (Pozitif),
Harun İzer (İstanbul Caz Festivali)
The panel will focus on the history of jazz festivals that took place in Istanbul until the 2000s through questions like “How did the first jazz festivals take place in Istanbul since the 1980s? What changed since then from the artists on the stage to the background operations?”. The participants are Emin Fındıkoğlu, one of the founders of the first jazz festival of Turkey, Bilsak Jazz Festival, Ahmet Uluğ, one of the founders of Pozitif, IKSV’s General Manager Görgün Taner and Harun İzer from the jazz festival team. Academician Orhan Tekelioğlu will moderate the event which will take place at The Badau in Yeldeğirmeni.
Hülya Tunçağ (Photo: Hülya Tunçağ Archive)
Panel 3: Conversations with doyens of Turkish Jazz
26 May, 16.30 – 18.30, Living Room
Moderator: Hülya Tunçağ
The panel will be moderated by Hülya Tunçağ, one of the most prominent music writers with a vast knowledge on Turkish jazz history and will take place at the popular jazz bar in Kadıköy called Living Room. The memories, suggestions and analyses of doyen jazz musicians who dedicated their lives to keeping jazz alive in Turkey will be discussed. This event will be more of a conversation than a panel and focus on the past and present of Turkish jazz. The participants of this panel will be announced on the Istanbul Jazz Festival’s website and social media accounts in the upcoming days.
Orhan Tekelioğlu (Photo: internet/unknown)
Panel 4: Jazz and Beyond
8 June, 19.00-21.00, Kaset Mitanni
Moderator: Orhan Tekelioğlu
“Which projectile does the evolution of jazz follow? How will the future of jazz and the jazz of the future be? What inspires young jazz musicians and what kind of jazz do they dream of?” These questions, which have been in discussion for many years, will be laid on the table during this fourth and final panel. The direction that jazz is headed to in the world and in Turkey, new productions, fresh breaths in jazz, sub-genres that diverged from jazz and those that were recently added will be discussed under the moderation of academician Orhan Tekelioğlu. The participants of this panel will be announced on the Istanbul Jazz Festival’s website and social media accounts in the upcoming days. The evening will continue with the performance of JmH feat. Bidar Kalender; a young and dynamic band that combines hip-hop and soul with jazz.
