Jazz in Istanbul

While visiting Istanbul, Micah, Jacob and I enjoyed the 32nd Annual Istanbul Jazz Festival, attending three concerts.

1. Bulut Gülen Quartet, Nardis Jazz Club

We were staying in an apartment next to Galata Tower, and just around the corner was the premier jazz club in Istanbul. Nardis is a compact club with an exposed brick wall and everything else painted black. We found it very welcoming.

We heard the Bulut Gülen Quartet, led by Turkey’s best trombone player. This was a treat for Micah. They played some standards, but then shifted to originals. As they warmed up, the music strengthened. We stayed for the whole first set and part of the second one. And then strolled a half-block back to our apartment.

2. Hermanos Gutiérrez, Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu

For our second show, we took a taxi to a different part of town for an open-air concert at an amphitheater. Hermanos Gutiérrez are two brothers who play guitar. The music is repetitive, almost hypnotic. It would make a good score for a modern Western movie. The crowd loved it. Whereas Nardis had a mix of tourists and Turks, this crowd was all Turkish.

3. Grégory Privat, French Palace

Our grand finale, on our last night in Istanbul, started with a walk down Iskatal Avenue, a major shopping and strolling street in Istanbul. The street is always crowded with locals who are out to see and be seen. We went to a Kepab-speciality, white table-cloth restaurant that had been recommeded to us, where we chowed down on grilled lamb, beef and chicken. Then we had an adventure trying to find the French Palace, which was down the hillside from the Avenue, tucked into a canyon.

Once inside, the grounds of the palace were grand, with many buildings and gardens and a swimming pool. They had set up a stage and music shell in a large grassy area and we sat on folding chairs. It was a beautiful warm, but not hot night and seagulls were soaring overhead.

Privat is from the island of Martinique and greeted the audience in both French and English. His music was very Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays influenced and thus very positive and upbeat. We really enjoyed the show!

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