Istanbul Jazz Festival presents ‘Vitrin’

ISTANBUL

The 24th Istanbul Jazz Festival will take place between July 4 and 20, with a brand-new showcase to run parallel alongside the festival. 

“Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey,” sponsored by SOCAR Turkey, will bring successful musicians and ensembles of the local scene together with leading representatives of international music industry. The showcase will also include the presentation of the SOCAR Turkey Silk Road Tour Support Award to two acts.

The showcase, which will take place from July 5 to 8, will include several festival concerts by 30 artists and ensembles from Turkey.

Within the scope of Vitrin, various concerts, seminars and sector events will be organized to create networking opportunities for local musicians. Two musicians or bands will receive further encouragement with the SOCAR Turkey Silk Road Tour Support Award that will provide financial support for upcoming international tours. The selection for the award will be made by the international delegates of Vitrin.

The showcase will feature concerts by Hüsnü Şenlendirici, İsmail Tunçbilek and Aytaç Doğan as the Taksim Trio; Ceylan Ertem, who has blended alternative and pop music with her five albums; Turkey’s rare fretless guitar virtuoso Cenk Erdoğan; jazz guitarist and composer Bilal Karaman’s trio with their blend of modern harmonies and improvisations; MadenÖktemErsönmez, comprising Sarp Maden, Alp Ersönmez and Volkan Öktem with their combination of rock, drum’n bass, punk, noise, electronics and ambient music; Korhan Futacı & Kara Orkestra with their creative style that cuts across jazz and rock music; and a duo project from jazz artists, Kağan Yıldız (bass) and Can Çankaya (piano).

Another event included in the showcase program will be Night Out. Some of the alternative names of the independent scene such as Gevende, Son Feci Bisiklet, Jakuzi, Kolektif İstanbul, Kamufle Moral Band, Big Beats Big Times, Cem Tuncer Quartet, “Lahza” Cenk Erdoğan & İkiz, Çağıl Kaya, Akın Sevgör, Eskiz, Grup Ses, Hayvanlar Alemi, Yakaza Ensemble, Help! The Captain Threw Up, Tolerance Break, Özgün Semerci, Meriç Çalışan and No Land will stage concerts at various venues in Kadıköy’s Moda neighborhood.

As part of the series, Yürüyen Merdiven ft. Tolga Bilgin & Kristian Lind, Geeva Flava and Rain Lab (İdil Meşe & Da Poet) will give concerts at Salon İKSV.


SOCAR Turkey Silk Road Tour Support Award

Two of this year’s performers at Vitrin will be presented with the SOCAR Turkey Silk Road Tour Support Award. Both recipients will be given a 2,500 euros of support for international tours planned for the next year. 

Recipients of the award will be selected by the international delegates of Vitrin following an evaluation process, the details of which will be announced on the Vitrin website. The results will be made public by İKSV after the completion of the events.

The 24th Istanbul Jazz Festival, which is organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), will feature more than 200 local and international names in 20 different venues around Istanbul.

The 24th Istanbul Jazz Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Kamil Özler, the conductor of TRT Big Band, and Fatih Erkoç, a veteran of Turkish pop and jazz music. 

The music marathon “Night Out” and the free-of-charge open-air event “Jazz in the Parks” will be held on the Asian side of Istanbul as part of the festival program. The festival will feature “A Childlike Day,” which is a special event that includes performances and workshops for children.