The Nardis Jazz Club, situated in an old Genoese building in a side street close to the Galata Tower, is Istanbul’s oldest venue of its kind, having opened its doors in October 2002. Consisting of a stage, a ground floor seating area and a balcony, it has a maximum seating capacity of 120. Customers can have meals served at their tables. The club, which is named after a composition by Miles Davis, is owned by jazz musician Önder Focan and his wife Zuhal, the publisher and editor of Jazz magazine.
Jazz concerts are held every night of the week except Sunday. Seating is determined according to the order in which members of the audience arrive, starting at 20:30. Reservations are kept until 21:15 (i.e., 15 minutes before the music starts). Tables for two are limited. All other tables are shared.
Time: 21:30
Bookings are now carried out exclusively via email or by telephone:
+90 212 244 63 27 – +90 244 57 78
Price: 1000TL
Here are 10 events not to miss.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 02
Volkan Topakoğlu Quartet
Double-bass player, composer and educator Volkan Topakoğlu specialised in the piano and the cello at the Avni Akyol Fine Arts Lycée in Istanbul, following which he graduated from the Art and Design Faculty of Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul, as a bass guitarist. Following this, he received training in Composition at the Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Turkish Music State Conservatoire, and in Jazz at the Istanbul University State Conservatoire. In 2013, he was a finalist at the Nömme Jazz Festival in Estonia. His first album, Birdenbire (‘Suddenly’), appeared in 2015. He currently teaches at the Yıldız Technical University Music Department. On September 2 he is joined by Barış Ertürk (tenor saxophone), Kürşad Deniz (piano) and Berke Özgümüş (drums).
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 05
Sibel Köse Quintet
The inimitable Sibel Köse, dubbed ‘the Queen of European Jazz’, is a vocalist of outstanding talent. She began singing jazz while studying Architecture at the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), Ankara; during this time, she performed with the legendary Turkish jazz pianist, saxophonist and composer Tuna Ötenel. She says she learned a lot from him, though he never gave her formal lessons. The second influence on her artistic development was Janusz Szprot, a Polish musician who came to Ankara in the 1990s to head up the Jazz Department of Bilkent University. He invited her to attend a summer school for jazz vocalists in his native country, and she received tuition there from Deborah Brown and Rachel Gould, two singers from the USA. A third major influencer, meanwhile, has been the French trumpet-player, composer and arranger Jean-Loup Longnon; she has recently made recordings with his big band at the Studios Ferber in Paris. In addition to performing, Sibel Köse currently teaches jazz at Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul. In March this year she released an album entitled In Good Company; more recently, Özgün, an album in which she is accompanied by the guitarist and double-bass player Kamil Erdem, has appeared. Accompanying her on September 5 are Engin Recepoğulları (tenor saxophone), Kürşad Deniz (piano), Kağan Yıldız (double bass) and Berke Özgümüş (drums).
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12
İpek Dinç Band
Singer İpek Dinç, a graduate of the Istanbul University Faculty of Chemistry, began her musical career in 2015, when she met the late jazz pianist and singer İlham Gencer. She first came to prominence when she won the Nardis Club’s competition for young jazz vocalists in 2009 and was subsequently invited to sing at the Nömme Jazz Festival in Tallinn, Estonia. Her repertoire consists of R&B, latin and funk numbers as well as jazz standards.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16
Flapper Swing
Flapper Swing is a ‘manouche’ (i.e., gypsy jazz) group in the tradition of the Belgian-Romani jazz guitarist Jean ‘Django’ Reinhardt (1910-1953) and the American saxophonist, clarinettist and composer Sidney Bechet (1897-1959). It keeps alive the musical atmosphere of the roaring 1920s – ‘the times when jazz was still fun’. The group has five members: Nevin Hetmanek on vocals, Batu Şallıel on tenor saxophone, Erhan Erbelger and Tomas Hetmanek on guitars, and Volkan Topakoğlu on double bass. (I believe Tomas Hetmanek hails from the Czech Republic.) They appear on stage in 1920s costume, but the audience is at liberty to dress as they will. I have fond memories of the times when Flapper Swing played in the street – at the Tünel end of İstiklal Caddesi. I always admired their blend of musical professionalism and good humour.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 17
Cenk Erdoğan Trio
Cenk Erdoğan, who plays the fretless guitar, has developed a technique influenced by traditional Turkish stringed instruments such as the bağlama and the tanbur. His playing style and his compositions, in which he combines jazz harmonies with traditional Turkish melodies, have attracted international attention: in 2004 he was invited to demonstrate his skills at the Berklee College of Music and the Queens College of Music. The recordings he has so far produced are İle (2008), Kavis (2011), Kara Kutu (2014), Fermata (2018) and Lahza II (2019). Sharing the stage with Cenk Erdoğan on September 17 are Alper Yılmaz (bass guitar) and Nedim Ruacan (drums).
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19
Evrim Özşuca Band
Evrim Özşuca took her first steps towards a career as a musician at Bilkent University, Ankara, where she began studying the cello at the age of 13. Having formed her first jazz group at 17, she attended the Music Department of Bilgi University, Istanbul, graduating as a jazz vocalist. In 2005, she won the Nardis Jazz Club’s Young Jazz Vocalists Competition and the International Young Jazz Vocalists Competition at the Nömme Jazz Festival in Estonia. As a result of these successes, she was invited to sing at international jazz festivals in Finland, Estonia and Lithuania. Following this, she gave concerts with jazz trumpeter Ted Curson (1935-2012) in New York and Paris, and featured on his album In Paris – Live at the Sunside. In 2008, she took part in Turkish pianist, composer and pedagogue Ali Perret’s ‘Atonal Standards’ project. Evrim Özşuca, who has been coaching jazz vocalists since 2003, has a style that combines elements of blues, R&B, soul and funk. On this occasion, she is to be accompanied by Özay Korkut (piano), Barış Öztürk (double bass) and Erhan Seçkin (drums).
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 23
Cem Tuncer Quartet
Cem Tuncer studied the guitar with Sarp Maden and Gökçen Taşkıran at Akademi Istanbul, where he also took lessons in music theory and ensemble playing. In 1998 he received a scholarship to study at Bilgi University, Istanbul, where he completed undergraduate studies in the Composition Department. In 2009, he represented the Nardis Club at a ‘Young Jazz Guitarists’ competition held in Estonia, coming second; this led to his receiving invitations to play at a number of prestigious jazz festivals. Later, in addition to playing in many concerts both in Europe and in Istanbul, he taught jazz guitar and ensemble playing at Yıldız Technical University. In recent years, he has written the music for a large number of films; in 2013, he was given a prize by Kral TV as best composer of music for TV series. In 2023, he was appointed conductor of the TRT Jazz Orchestra; he also continues to write music for TV series and perform in concerts. Sharing the stage with Cem Tuncer on September 23 are Barış D. Yazıcı (trumpet), Alper Yılmaz (bass guitar) and Ekin Cengizkan (drums).
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25
Şenova Ülker Quintet
Trumpet-player Şenova Ülker, trained in classical trumpet at the Ankara State Conservatoire and the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatoire (in Istanbul), later played in the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and taught his chosen instrument at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and Istanbul University State Conservatoires. While still a student, he took lessons in jazz theory from the multi-talented jazz musician and musical arranger Emin Fındıkoğlu, one of Turkey’s most respected pedagogues. Since 2013, Şenova Ülker has been teaching jazz trumpet at Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul. He participates in a large number of festivals both in Turkey and abroad, and his Vikipedi entry lists no less than 28 albums in which he has played a role. On September 25 he is joined by Bulut Gülen (trombone), Önder Focan (guitar), Yarkın Tuncer (double bass) and Burak Bulut (drums).
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
Ece Göksu Quintet
Ece Göksu is one of Turkey’s up-and-coming jazz vocalists. A native of Ankara, she sang in the Ankara State Opera and Ballet Children’s Chorus. After training as a pianist at the Hacettepe University State Conservatoire, in 2002 she moved to Istanbul, where she received further instruction in piano playing at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatoire. It was while at university in Ankara that she began to take an interest in jazz, and formed her first group. In 2007 she won a Fulbright Scholarship, which enabled her to receive lessons in jazz vocal at William Paterson University in New Jersey; there, she was taught by Nancy Marano, Cecil Bridgewater, Mulgrew Miller and others, meanwhile taking private lessons from Roberta Gambarini and Jay Clayton.
Ms Göksu, who currently resides partly in New York and partly in Istanbul, has sung at festivals in the United States, Budapest and Dubai as well as in Turkey. In 2014 Slow, Hot Wind, an album of jazz classics featuring her along with Neşet Ruacan and Volkan Hürsever, was released. Live in Assos, meanwhile, appeared in 2024. Her repertoire includes bossa nova numbers and songs by Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Billy Joel and other prominent musicians. Taking the stage with her on September 26 are Tamer Temel (clarinet and tenor saxophone), Serkan Özyılmaz (piano), Kağan Yıldız (double bass) and Berke Özgümüş (drums).
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30
Alara Noyan Quartet
Alara Noyan was born into a musical family in Istanbul in 1994. While still at school, she took part in the ‘Music Explorer’ competition on the French TV channel ‘France Ô’, earning a place in the finals. From 2013 to 2017 she took a degree course in Advertising at Bilgi University, Istanbul; then, in 2015, she received training in Journalism and Communications in Belgium. Having begun her musical career by learning the piano, her interest in jazz motivated her to take lessons (briefly) in jazz vocal from Çağlar Süalp, and in jazz harmony and piano from Can Alpay. Having participated in Sibel Köse’s workshops for jazz vocalists from 2020 to 2021, she then completed the Jazz Academy Certificate Programme at Bahçeşehir University (Istanbul). Since 2022, she has been receiving instruction in jazz vocal from Randy Esen. Sharing the stage with Alara Noyan on September 30 are Onat Murat (piano), Anıl Deniz (double bass) and Burak Bulut (drums).
