For its 29th festival, the Akbank Jazz Festival is bringing international and Turkish performers to venues all over the city, while also holding a number of events on university and high school campuses.
On Thursday, October 17, the festival kicks off at Babylon with Vaudou Game, a Tongelese funk group that combines voodoo rhythms, raw afrofunk and soul.
We’re also looking forward to the performance of star jazz pianist Yonathan Avishai at Akbank Sanat on October 18.
Virtuoso saxophonist James Carter, one of jazz’s most sophisticated improvisers, and his band, the James Carter Organ Trio, will perform at Zorlu PSM on October 21 and are bound to be one of the most enthralling performances for jazz lovers.
Legendary jazz musician, saxophone, flute virtuoso and composer Charles Lloyd’s trio will be performing with Gerald Clayton and Marvin Sewell on October 23 at the Cemal Reşit Rey Konser Salonu.
Finally, don’t miss beat artist Sarah McCoy’s first performance in Istanbul, at Babylon on October 23.
In addition to concerts, a number of talks (mainly held in Turkish), masterclasses, dance performances and workshops have been organised as part of the festival. The festival has some new event series of particular interest for Istanbulites:
a ‘Jazz Cuisine’ sushi workshop on October 17
a jazz brunch on October 20 and 27
a ‘Jazz in the Room’ series that aims to transform the places of daily encounters into an intimate concert experience in a cozy home environment for the participants, on October 19 and 20
See the full programme here
Issue 66, December 2023
Turkey’s Centenary Issue
