A day in Istanbul starts with music. It’s not coming from the café on the corner, but from the minaret of a mosque. As iridescent and unpredictable as a jazz piece, the sound of the ezan, or call to prayer, echoes all over the city in melodic waves, filling rooms, confusing strangers who are not used to it and inspiring awe in some and a frown in others. The voice of the muezzin is a reminder that you are in a city full of do-re-mi, mysticism and fiery energy. The day unravels to the sounds of the passing traffic, the gulls crying over the Bosphorus and the haggling between housewives and melon sellers. Music comes unexpectedly from a cab driver singing with the window down, or spills smoothly from a bookstore into the eternally crowded Istiklal Avenue.
Though Turkey is thousands of miles away from the birthplace of jazz, there is something in Istanbul’s cacophony that fills your head with an electrifying jazzy tune. The city’s vivaciousness did not escape the attention of Fyodor Tomas (née Frederick Bruce Thomas), an African-American expat who owned a successful nightclub in Moscow before fleeing to Istanbul after the Bolsheviks seized power in 1919. While Chicago was bursting with jazz across the Atlantic, Tomas was introducing Istanbul to the music by hosting black jazz bands in his clubs, Stella and Maxim.
But jazz didn’t really come to the fore in Turkey until the 1950s, when informative radio broadcasts sparked an interest in the genre and pioneers such as Cüneyt Sermet, Arif Mardin, Süheyl Denizci and bassist Selçuk Sum enlivened the local scene. American jazz giants such as Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and Dave Brubeck (whose famous ‘Blue Rondo à la Turk’ was inspired by Turkish music rhythms) gave concerts in Turkey and opened doors for local musicians who wanted to share their talents with the world.
In 1978, against a backdrop of Turkish pop music dominance, drummer Erol Pekcan recorded the country’s first jazz album Jazz Semai together with saxophonist Tuna Ötenel and bassist Kudret Oztoprak. Istanbul became a breeding ground for the next generation of jazz musicians, many of whom were tempted to experiment with the malleable texture of Turkish folk music and combine traditional motifs with the sound of jazz.
In the past few decades, jazz festivals have brought hundreds of jazz masters — including Miles Davis, Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis — from all around the world to Istanbul, and the lively programs of the jazz clubs around Galata and Beyoǧlu have helped promote the genre on Turkish soil. With virtuosos like Ilhan Erşahin, Aydin Esen, Sibel Köse, Burhan Öçal and Kerem Görsev, Turkish jazz is no longer played by musicians for other musicians, but embraced by music enthusiasts of all ages.
If you are one of them (and if it’s not Sunday), Nardis Jazz Club, named after a Miles Davis composition, is the best place to go. Situated in a historic building near Galata Tower in lower Beyoǧlu, the venue features live jazz performances six days a week. The owners are jazz guitarist Önder Focan and his wife Zuhal Focan, who is the editor of Jazz Magazine in Turkey.
In Nardis, you can hear different interpretations of mainstream, modern, fusion and ethnic jazz. The venue welcomes avant-garde artists to the stage on Monday nights and foreign musicians several times a month. It has hosted many jazz veterans like Benny Golson and Ibrahim Ferrer, and has also supported gifted local musicians on their way up. The sound system and the ancient brick walls create excellent acoustics, but if you want a decent table near the stage, a reservation is advised.
If you are looking for something more bohemian, Atölye Kuledibi, frequented mostly by students, is right next door to Nardis. Most nights, something intriguing and jazzy can be heard from the unassuming stage of this quintessential Galata bar with warm yellow walls and soft lighting. The atmosphere is vibrant and friendly, and the performances heartfelt. The bar is a meeting point for many of Beyoǧlu’s artists, writers and musicians and the owner, who is also a doctor, makes a mean limoncello with fresh fruit.
The Galliard is the complete opposite of Atolye Kuledibi. Situated in the upscale Etiler neighborhood, this fine-dining restaurant hosts special jazz and Latin nights every Tuesday and Thursday evening. The zebra-print chairs and dinner plates with big red flowers are as eye-catching as the art on the walls, and the Mediterranean cuisine is superb. Just pick one of the 52 cocktails on the menu (you won’t regret trying Lipstick) and treat yourself to an exquisite jazz performance from pianist Askın Arsunan and Jazzino Band.
Nişantaşı, a luxury shopping area for affluent locals, is also sprinkled with trendy restaurants and bars. One of the best is the charming DiVine Brasserie & Jazz Club, which features live jazz performances in its basement several times a week. Their sea bass en papillote has legions of fans, many of whom spend the rest of their evening savouring a cheese board, listening to up-and-coming musicians performing anything from jazz standards to swing.
Nestled in the funky area at the end of Istiklal Avenue called Asmalımescit and hidden behind a black velvet curtain, Palazzo Donizetti Hotel’s Lazzaro Jazz & Dine is yet another brand-new spot offering excellent Italian food accompanied by top-notch jazz performances. On a tender Saturday night, after you hear the music of Çaǧıl Kaya Trio with a glass of wine from Lazzaro’s sizeable collection, you might leave your heart on the black and white chessboard floor of this stylish restaurant.
Anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a raucous musical experience (while nursing a delicious mojito) without candlelight and silverware should look for the red doors of Babylon, which is a short drive from Lazzaro. Considered Istanbul’s best live music club, the venue showcases a prismatic selection of world music ranging from Balkan funk to electronica, and world-class jazz artists are in the spotlight at least once a week. Performances start after 9.30pm everyday except Sunday and Monday.
The bi-level club has hosted musical bigwigs such as Patti Smith, Marianne Faithfull, Jane Birkin and Macy Gray, as well as jazz performers like Joe McPhee, trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, clarinet master Hüsnü Şenlendirici and Ilhan Ersahin, who owns another popular jazz venue in the hip neighbourhood of Karaköy. Located under Gradiva Hotel and awash in red light, Ersahin’s Nublu Istanbul is as famous as its New York counterpart. This groovy club resounds with live jazz, rock and funk acts performed by top-tier artists almost every night.
Istanbul’s vibrant jazz palette has many more colours, from Living Room, an art café and social club on the Asian side of Istanbul, where the masterful guitarist Neset Ruacan performs, to Café Mitanni Jazz in Beyoǧlu, which looks like somebody’s living room and hosts wonderfully intimate jazz performances. There are also a number of all-encompassing music shops, such as Zuhal Müzik and Senkop, in the Tunel-Galata area, which is the Grand Bazaar for music lovers.
Kontra Record Store in Galatasaray and Opus 3A in Cihangir boast a wide selection of jazz records among every other genre, and their friendly staff are always on hand to help with recommendations if you feel like experimenting. Because, after all, Istanbul and jazz are both about attempting the new and the unusual without forgetting the golden past. At the end of your stay, you’ll surely realise that Turkish jazz is a mixture of elements: a melancholic voice, the rhythm of a darbuka drum, a light-hearted clarinet and the clinking of a spoon stirring tea.
THE GOLDEN BOOK
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus
Tel: +90 212 381 40 00
www.fourseasons.com
Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 275 8888
www.shangri-la.com
Çıragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 326 4646
www.kempinski.com
