ISTANBUL
The 21st Akbank Jazz Festival will take place from Oct 13 to Nov 3 this year. The program of the event was announced Thursday at a press conference. Along with the best known names and new discoveries of the world jazz scene, the festival will also feature a young talents competition and workshops
21st Akbank Jazz Festival’s program will present concerts from well-known and emerging Turkish and foreign figures.
One of Turkey’s longest-running music festivals has announced its program for this year, a lineup that includes shows by world-renowned jazz artists, workshops, panel discussions, competitions, jazz brunches and “Jazz at Campus” concerts.
The 21st edition of the Akbank Jazz Festival, which runs from Oct. 13 to Nov. 3 in Istanbul, will open at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall with a show by the Arild Andersen Trio, a group that has had a successful run on European stages.
One of the most important double bassists in Scandinavian jazz since the 1970s, Norwegian bassist Andersen was named musician of the year at France’s Academie de Jazz awards in 2008 and has released countless albums. He is joined in the trio by legendary Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith and Italian drummer Paolo Vinaccia.
The Maffy Falay Sextet, founded by important Turkish trumpet player Muvaffak “Maffy” Falay, will take the stage at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall on Oct. 14. Falay has shared a stage with masters such as Phil Woods and played for Quincy Jones’ orchestra in the 1960s. After moving to Sweden, he joined Dizzy Gillespie’s Reunion Orchestra.
Another Turkish artist featured in the festival will be Arto Tunçboyacoyan, who will present his new project, “1to3,” on Oct. 19 at Ghetto.
Trumpet virtuoso Dusco Goykovich, who will give two concerts Oct. 19 and 20 at Nardis, is celebrating his 80th year with performances throughout Europe. His album “Swinging Macedonia” was born of his interest in Balkan music, which he fused with jazz. Goykovich will be accompanied at his Nardis concerts by Burak Bedikyan on piano, Kağan Yıldız on bass and Ferit Odman on drums.
Ray Gelato, the legendary swing master who has performed for the British royal family and at Paul McCartney’s wedding, will be onstage with his band at Babylon on Oct. 13, the opening day of the festival. Regarded by many as one of the last champions of classic jazz, Gelato returns to Istanbul with his band for the promotional tour of their album “Ray Gelato Salutes the Great Entertainers.”
Fusing Middle Eastern and African influences with his unique approach, bassist & composer Avishai Cohen will perform Oct. 23 at the Lütfi Kırdar International Congress and Exhibition Center. Cohen was discovered by Chick Corea while playing with Danilo Perez and released his debut album in 1997 under Corea’s wing. Cohen, who was part of Corea’s sextet “Origin” and performed with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin, has released a total of 12 albums; his latest, “Seven Seas,” came out in 2011.
Festival features leading female vocalists
Isabelle Geffroy, better known as “ZAZ,” is currently one of the hottest musicians in France. She will be the guest of the Akbank Jazz Festival on Oct. 22 at the Lütfi Kırdar International Congress and Exhibition Center. The young, quirky musician, named “Most Admired French Singer,” has a smoky voice redolent of Edith Piaf. Having gained popularity in Turkey with her song “Je Veux,” ZAZ’s performance is highly anticipated. She will also take the stage at the İzmir Arena on Oct. 23.
With her poetic performance and colorful style that bounces between Afro-Latin, world music and jazz, Carmen Souza will bring a different take to the Akbank Jazz Festival on Oct. 19 at Babylon. Fusing African cultural music with Cape Verde rhythms like Batuke and Morna, the artist released her debut album in 2005.
Esra Dalfidan, who reinterprets traditional Turkish and Azerbaijani music in a different context, will take the stage Oct. 22 at Akbank Sanat. Performing non-stop around Europe including many major festivals such as North Sea Jazz, Dalfidan’s Fidan released its latest album, “CounterPoint,’’ in 2010.
Competition for young talents
The 21st Akbank Jazz Festival is also bringing amateur and professional jazz musicians together onstage through the “JAmZZ” Young Talents Competition, which will be organized this year for the first time.
Applications are being accepted in five categories – “Wind,” “Percussion,” “Strings,” “Keys” and “Vocals” and candidates must submit one demo CD featuring two performances, a short biography, a cover letter about their music style and one photograph by Oct. 5.
After a pre-selection process, a workshop will be held with those ranked in the “best performance,” “best improvisation” and “best interpretation” categories of the competition as determined by the grand jury. These talented young jazz musicians will take to the stage with professional jazz musicians as part of the festival.
(Source: www.hurriyetdailynews.com )