This club regularly hosts some of Turkey’s finest jazz musicians, being especially strong on modern and improvised jazz. However, the performance space on the first floor is small, to say the least, and advance booking is definitely advised (sitting on a crowded staircase isn’t particularly comfortable). I have found the staff to be friendly and helpful, even in the face of unreasonable requests.
Saturday, January 11, 2025
İMER DEMİRER QUARTET
İmer Demirer is a trumpet-player of such outstanding creativity and originality that the remark made by singer Randy Esen while describing how she had chosen him to play on her latest album is entirely justified: “İmer …” she said, “Man, I mean, what can I say … he was the only choice.” In my blog on a concert at the Bova Jazz Club on February 18, I said that ‘İmer, whose playing is invariably tasteful, was nothing less than magnificent.’
Sunday January 12
Ayşe Tütüncü Quartet
The highly respected Turkish pianist, composer and arranger Ayşe Tütüncü has released a number of albums, four of which were recorded with her old group ‘Mozaik’ in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1995, having formed a new ensemble entitled ‘Piano Percussion Group’, she released Çeşitlemeler (‘Variations’). Her best-known album, however, is Panayır (‘Fair’ – in the meaning of ‘open-air market held to mark a special occasion’), released by Blue Note in 2006; this was the first time that Blue Note had created an album with a Turkish jazz musician. Ayşe Tütüncü has worked with a large number of jazz and pop musicians, and has written the music for a number of Turkish films. She is also a gifted improviser.
Tuesday January 14
Tamer Temel 5
Saxophonist Tamer Temel, a native of Istanbul, began playing in jazz concerts while a student in Izmir. In 2005 he attended a master class in Siena, Italy; later, he took part in workshops given by the famous saxophonist Mark Turner, from whom he also received private lessons. His first album, ‘Barcelona’, was released in 2010. This was followed by Bir Kedi Kara (‘A Cat Black’) in 2013. His most recent album is Serbest Düşüş (‘Free Fall’), which appeared at the end of 2016. He performs with a number of Turkish musicians, as well as with ‘Flapper Swing’, a group that keeps alive the musical atmosphere of the roaring 1920s. Tamer Temel currently teaches jazz at Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul.
Saturday January 18
Turgut Alp Bekoğlu ‘Love Jazz Quartet’
Turgut Alp Bekoğlu, born in 1966, is one of Turkey’s longest-established drummers. Having becoming a professional jazz musician in 1983, he is best known for being the drummer of ‘Telvin’, a jazz, blues and ethnic jazz group that is famous in Turkey. He received his training in Rotterdam (where he attended a five-month course at the conservatory) and in New York, where he spent two years honing his drumming skills; he also appeared on stage with Gloria Gaynor. In recent years, he has accompanied some of Turkey’s most famous singers. A frequent visitor to the USA, in addition to playing at festivals (e.g., in Houston and New Orleans), he has also released an album there.
Monday January 20
Jam Session with İmer Demirer
İmer Demirer is a trumpeter of extraordinary skill and creativity whose performances are highly recommended. On the subject of jam sessions, in my blog on one that involved İmer, I said the following: ‘It is precisely this lack of restraint that can give improvised music, at its best, a ‘straight-from-the-heart’ quality that is extremely difficult to replicate in a scripted performance.’ His improvisation sessions are a feast of musicianship, talent and good taste.
Wednesday January 22
‘Free House’: Ali Perret & İmer Demirer & Meriç Demirkol & Volkan Ergen
All four of the performers at this concert have extensive experience of playing improvised music. In my blog on a concert at the Bova Club in 2024, I said the following: ‘As the trumpet-saxophone dialogue progressed it was Meriç, rather than İmer, who let rip, and in doing so contributed a great deal towards the success of the evening in terms of musical satisfaction. It is precisely this lack of restraint that can give improvised music, at its best, a ‘straight-from-the-heart’ quality that is extremely difficult to replicate in a scripted performance. This is not to say, of course, that İmer, whose playing is invariably tasteful, was anything less than magnificent.’
Saturday January 25
Sibel Köse
In the new Cornucopia, I interviewed the inimitable Sibel Köse, dubbed ‘the Queen of European Jazz’, and a vocalist of outstanding talent. Last time I saw Sibel perform, I wrote: ‘Over the three-and-a-bit years since I last had the privilege of hearing her, nothing of her energy has been lost: if anything, her singing is more powerful than ever. She hits the high notes with tremendous force and faultless intonation; she improvises creatively with nonsense words even more frequently than before, fashioning them into meaningful episodes within the song as a whole; and her emotional range remains unrivalled within my experience of jazz singers. All this is mixed in with both a searing sincerity and a wry sense of humour. How could anyone fail to enjoy and appreciate her artistry?’
Issue 67, December 2024
Beauty in the Wilderness
