All About Amazing Istanbul International Jazz Festival 🎺🎸
Istanbul Jazz Festival 2023-2024
Festivals in Istanbul are one of the most important features of this tourist city, and every year, many tourists adjust their travel plans to attend one of the festivals in Istanbul.
Before my trip, I didn’t know much about festivals in Istanbul. Still luckily, I was in this city when the Istanbul Jazz Festival was held in 2023, and I was able to participate in this festivals.
In this article, I am going to tell you about my experience of visiting the Istanbul Jazz Festival in 2023. Then, I will give you information about the programs, dates, and ticket prices of this festival in 2024.
Istanbul Jazz Festival 2024
Table of Contents
The 31st edition of this festival is scheduled to be held from July 3 to July 18, 2024, and so far, it has been planned for 12 days, and the venue and music groups have also been selected.
Various programs are going to be performed at this festival, and for this reason, I have prepared a table in which I have stated the venues, dates, music groups, and ticket prices.
| Date | Ticket price | Venue | Band |
| 3 July Wednesday 21:30 | About 1500 lira | Austrian Consulate Austrian Cultural Forum Garden | Saint Privat |
| 4 July Thursday 20:00 | 1450 to 750 lira | Rahmi M. Koç Museum | Modern Art Orchestra feat. Kornél Fekete-Kovács // Kaan Çelen Trio |
| 5 July Friday 20:00 | 1450 to 800 lira | Palais de France | Baptiste Trotignon Trio // Nilüfer Verdi Trio |
| 6 July Saturday 17:30 | Free | Beylikdüzü Valley of Life | Jazz in the Parks
Groups are usually unspecified |
| 8 July Monday 21:00 | 5000 to 500 lira
According to the row and the amount of time |
Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre | Gregory Porter
American singer |
| 9 July Tuesday 21:00 | 1100 to 950 lira | Sultan Park – Swissôtel The Bosphorus | Arlo Parks |
| 10 July Wednesday 21:00 | 1450 to 800 lira | Sultan Park – Swissôtel The Bosphorus | YolanDa Brown |
| 12 July Friday 21:00 | 5000 to 500 lira
According to the row and the amount of time |
Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre | Chris Isaak |
| 14 July Sunday 11:00 | 1100 to 950 lira | Kabataş Pier | The Jazz Boat |
| 16 July Tuesday 21:00 | 1500 to 900 lira | The Marmara Esma Sultan Mansion | Joshua Redman Group feat. Gabrielle Cavassa |
| 17 July Wednesday 20:00 | 1800 lira | Salon İKSV, Minoa Pera, Pera 77 | A Jazz Night in Pera |
| 18 July Thursday 20:00 | 900 to 800 lira | Kadıköy-Moda | Night Out with +1 |
The prices have doubled compared to 2023, but it is still worth it. At this festival, famous singers from all over the world have gathered together. To buy tickets and see the details of each program, click on Buy tickets in the table above.
Introduction of Istanbul Jazz Festival + History
The Istanbul Culture and Art Institute organizes the Istanbul International Jazz Festival. It includes many musical styles, such as classical and modern jazz, jazz line, and Scandinavian, as well as a combination of electronic music and jazz, rock, pop, reggae, and funk. This festival lets music lovers see the world’s best musicians up close.
This festival is held in special places such as concert halls, historical places, streets, or ships and usually lasts for three weeks. It is generally held in summer.
As one of the most important styles of music in the world, jazz has always maintained its popularity in Istanbul. This festival was held independently for the first time in 1994, and since then, it has become one of the biggest cultural events in Istanbul. With the cooperation of Istanbul Municipality and organizing companies, live concerts are held simultaneously in different places in the city every year.
Famous international artists such as “Herbie Hancock,” “Charlie Haden,” “Nina Simone,” and “Chick Corea” have taken the stage at this festival and have brought an unforgettable experience to those interested in this music genre. At the Istanbul International Jazz Festival, many restaurants and cafes also serve their food with music. This music and the famous foods of Turkey will make a good day for you.
My experience at Istanbul Jazz Festival in 2023
2023 was the 30th year of this festival. According to the research I had done, I knew that the last day of this festival would be held much differently than other days. On the last day of the festival, only local music of Istanbul were performed in jazz style, and international music was not performed.
The last performance was held on July 19 at the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall. I bought a first-row ticket from the “caz.iksv.org” website and paid 500 lire for it. Tickets for other rows were cheaper, and there were tickets up to 200 lira.
The performance started at 8:00 PM, and I went there half an hour early so that I could sit in peace. Before the music performance, I did some research through caz.iksv.org about the bands that wanted to perform, which was as follows:
- 20:00 | İPEK GÖZTEPE QUINTET: İPEK GÖZTEPE vocal | KAAN KARADAVUT trumpet | ENGİN ÖZŞAHİN piano | ENVER MUHAMEDİ double bass | MEHMET ALİ ŞİMAYLİ drums
- 21:05 | SELEN GÜLÜN BLUE BAND: SELEN GÜLÜN vocal, piano | BARIŞ DOĞUKAN YAZICI trumpet, flugelhorn | HALİL İBRAHİM IŞIK trumpet | BULUT GÜLEN trombone | SERHAN ERKOL alto sax, soprano sax | ENGİN RECEPOĞULLARI tenor sax | BARIŞ ERTÜRK bariton sax, bass clarinet | OZAN MUSLUOĞLU double bass | BERKE ÖZGÜMÜŞ drums
- 22:10 | İMER DEMİRER TRIO FEAT. ALİ PERRET: İMER DEMİRER trumpet | APOSTOLOS SIDERIS bass | CAN KOZLU drums | ALİ PERRET piano
All 3 performances were done in the best possible way. The precise lighting, along with the music, had multiplied the excitement of the performance. But it’s a pity that I could not attend this festival for more days, and I was present only on the last day.
I want to be able to come to this festival in Istanbul again in 2024; that’s why I have prepared all the plans for 2024 and shared them with you.
Conclusion
Istanbul International Jazz Festival is one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world. I recommend participating in this festival to jazz music lovers, beginners, and professional artists because they will learn new things from participating in this festival.
If you are interested in other festivals held in Istanbul, I suggest you read the following articles:
