17.09.2024
Text: Cem Kayıran
Overview: 34th Akbank Jazz Festival
The 34th Akbank Jazz Festival will take place from September 28 to October 13 across various neighborhoods and venues in Istanbul. The festival line-up will feature concerts by more than 200 musicians and bands, as well as a range of talks and screenings. We are now in the final days of the countdown to this musical marathon.
Below is a selection of events from the packed Akbank Jazz Festival program that you won't want to miss, categorized under three different headings. These represent just a few of the many routes you can take through a calendar filled with both jazz’s master voices and the excitement of new discoveries.
LIVING LEGENDS
The Akbank Jazz Festival, which has hosted many legendary global musicians who have shaped jazz and its sub-genres in Istanbul, continues this tradition in its 34th edition.
* Founded by the versatile American musician Kahil El’Zabar, whose career has intersected with many iconic figures from Nina Simone to Pharoah Sanders, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble will take the stage at the 34th Akbank Jazz Festival. This performance is part of a tour celebrating the band’s 50 years of experience. El’Zabar and his musical collaborators touch the roots of Black musical traditions and continue to be a guiding light, paving new paths within this canon.
* Since the late 1980s, Brad Mehldau has charted a unique path where jazz traditions intersect with unconventional extremes, has been an improviser who can be described as a school for generations to come. Described as “the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years,” by The New York Times, Mehldau will perform at the festival with his trio, featuring Felix Moseholm on bass and Jorge Rossi on drums.
* Known as one of the most original jazz vocalists of all time, Kurt Elling has left a significant mark on jazz over the past 30 years through his interpretations and writing. His latest addition to an impressive discography is The Iridescent Spree, released with his SuperBlue project featuring Charlie Hunter..* Grammy-award-winning Mexican drummer Antonio Sánchez has been one of Pat Metheny’s most cherished collaborators. You might be familiar with his work from the Alejandro González Iñárritu film Birdman. Sánchez will take the festival stage with his quartet, featuring Seamus Blake on saxophone, Aydın Esen on piano, and Orlando le Fleming on bass.
* Two virtuoso friends, Burhan Öçal and Jamaaladeen Tacuma, will reunite in memory of Mehmet Uluğ at the 34th Akbank Jazz Festival, following their 1998 album Groove Alla Turca. The duo’s Trakya Funk project will also feature Gazapizm and King Noli from the hip hop scene.
VOICES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
From Korea to Brazil, the 34th Akbank Jazz Festival offers the audience the opportunity to experience extensions of jazz from various countries and cultures.
* Sori Quartet is an ensemble of four Korean improvisers, each based in a different European city. Combining jazz and Korean music with elements of free improvisation, they will definitely deliver one of the most surprising performances of the festival.
* Cuban pianist Harold López-Nussa brings a modern and flavorful twist to Latin jazz with his latest album Timba a la Americana, produced by Snarky Puppy’s Michael League. Our advice to the festival audience is to save their best dance moves for this concert.
* Inspired by music produced in different geographies at different times of the 20th century, Tatiana Eva-Marie blends nuances from her French and Romani heritage with American jazz standards in her compositions. Let us also note that Vanity Fair magazine has acclaimed her as a “millennial shaking up the jazz scene”.
* Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, who has released albums on prestigious labels such as Concord, Blue Note, P-Vine and First Word, has made a name for himself with his adventurous transitions between genres.
* Born in Rio de Janeiro, strolling musician Rodrigo Amarante has explored a wide range of styles and traditions through his work with Los Hermanos, the band that took his hometown by storm, and became a phenomenon with the theme for the hit Netflix series Narcos.
SHAPING THE JAZZ OF TODAY AND TOMORROW
The 34th Akbank Jazz Festival program also features exciting performances for the new generation of jazz enthusiasts: Virtuoso instrumentalists, innovative perspectives and refreshing fusions...
* Adi Oasis’ latest album, Lotus Glow, combines soul, funk, and R&B grooves with retro-futuristic production and personal stories, marking a career breakthrough. She will make her debut at the festival with her first-ever show in Istanbul.
* At only twenty five years old, Isaiah Collier is a saxophone virtuoso who has been creating immersive dialogues both on stage and in the studio with his band The Chosen Few. It is clear that his name will keep coming up in musical conversations for many years to come.
* A drummer for the inspiring London-based collective Sons of Kemet, which revitalizes spiritual jazz traditions, Tom Skinner has recently been busy with his band The Smile, featuring Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. In 2022, Skinner released his debut solo album, Voices of Bishara, under his original name.
* Dave Okumu, who initially gained attention with his band The Invisible, has achieved global acclaim with his latest album, I Came From Love, recorded with the 7 Generations orchestra. Dave Okumu & The 7 Generations will passionately raise their voices to preserve Kenyan traditions and roots through their music.
* Blue Lab Beats is the jazztronica partnership of producer NK-OK and multi-instrumentalist Mr. DM, both of whom have been part of the well-established Blue Note Records family since 2020. Get ready for a true dance marathon at their performance at Babylon on October 5.