Nardis Jazz Club, which opened its doors on the 29th of October 2002 for the first time, will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year on the 29th of October 2021. Nardis, located in the Galata district, has been housing live jazz music concerts 6 days a week since its first day and is the only jazz club that has been in business for 20 years in Turkey.
The music performed in Nardis is mostly various sub-genres of jazz music, which have been accepted and respected as forms of arts music worldwide since the second half of the 20th century. In addition, Nardis has also featured a limited number of quality examples of Turkish Classical Music, Turkish Folk Music, World Music and Acoustic Rock concerts during these 20 years.
Nardis has a maximum occupancy of 120 audience members. The club features about 1800 live performances every year that are enjoyed by around 20000 listeners per month.
Nardis generally hosts Turkish musicians and bands, while also welcoming world-famous jazz musicians on its stage and allowing its audiences to enjoy the music of these international artists in a friendly environment with affordable ticket prices.
Nardis has prioritized being respectful to the music, the musician and the members of the audiences since its opening, similar to the international approach. The club has always emphasized the fact that it isn’t an entertainment establishment but a concert venue where the guests can enjoy some food and drinks as they listen to the live music following the silence policy, which is a standard in jazz clubs.
Nardis Jazz Club (Photo: Sedal Antay)
The first venue that comes to mind in Istanbul and Turkey when jazz and other quality music genres are in question, Nardis has been maintaining an unfluctuating quality level for the past 20 years. The club is internationally well known by jazz musicians and jazz audiences, being listed as one of the most prominent jazz venues in the world by the prestigious American jazz magazine Down Beat for many years. Many other famous international travel magazines and websites have been suggesting Nardis as a must-visit place in Istanbul.
Nardis has been hosting “the Young Jazz Vocal Competition” every year (except for 2021 due to the pandemic) since 2005. The finalists and participants picked by the members of the jury are given the opportunity to attend other competitions online with their expenses fully paid by Nardis. The club has successfully worked on and finished the IPMN EU Civil Society Project in 2010-11.
Nardis has been welcoming young jazz musicians and bands since its opening while also providing the opportunity for the development of these musicians by enabling these young talents to create their own listener bases, contributing to the sustainability of jazz music and its audiences.
The goal of Nardis in 2022 is to continue being a live music venue that presents performances 6 days of the week with a focus on jazz music. Nardis will continue supporting young musicians and bands by welcoming them on its stage.
Nardis is also planning organizations for quality music concerts to reach bigger audiences and other cities in addition to Istanbul. In this framework, it is planning to collaborate and support festivals local governments in Istanbul.
A new project called “Jazz Museum” is being undertaken that aims to pass on the jazz music archives in Turkey to the next generations as they accumulated during these 20 years of Nardis and before.
