Istanbul Jazz Festival 2008
Celebrate Jazz in Turkey!
15th İstanbul International Jazz Festival
What better place to celebrate Jazz than exotic Istanbul, the city where East meets West? The İstanbul Jazz Festival celebrates its 15th year with over 300 concerts.
Unique venues; Byzantine basilicas, Ottoman palaces, museums, & open-air theaters will host scheduled events. More informally, the back streets, neighborhood squares, tavernas & even the waterways of Istanbul will resonate with music—Jazz, Blues, Big Band, of course… but and also Pop, Reggae, Rock, & New Age. This jubilant festival takes place in the very heart of the city! You can see a map of the concert venues here.
The 2008 program has just been released (21 May), and the English/Turkish Website provides extensive details about the Festival, the performers, and the historic settings of many concerts. For ticketed events, you can even book your seats online.
One of the best-organized festivals of Europe, the International İstanbul Jazz Festival has brought many renowned artists to İstanbul’s music lovers. This year’s line-up includes: Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Caetano Veloso, Tower of Power with Marcus Miller, Al Jarreau, Lenny Kravitz, Zakir Hussain, Dee Dee Bridgewater and many of Turkey’s internationally acclaimed performers, including Sibel Kose and the Istanbul Saxophone Quartet.
See the complete schedule at the Istanbul Jazz Festival Web site and don’t forget that in addition the concerts noted, many more informal musical events will be happening around the city.
We’ve taken advantage of this electric energy to plan a one-of-a-kind trip for a small group of first-time visitors to Turkey. If you’d prefer to travel solo, already have your own group and ideas, or if you’ve sampled Turkey’s offerings before and want to see new aspects of this fascinating country, please let us know. We’d be happy to craft a custom tour to your specifications.
But for the tour we propose, our small group will lodge in wonderful boutique hotels in the historic district of Istanbul, within walking distance of Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia, and the Covered Bazaar.
By day, we’ll explore an endlessly fascinating city astride both Europe and Asia: To see where the world’s finest concert cymbals are still handcrafted, we’ll visit a brass workshop. A Bosphorus cruise with live Jazz and a Whirling Dervish ceremony with traditional musicians are also options. No matter how each day unfolds, by night we’ll be able to partake of the Jazz Festival.
To sample Turkish delights beyond Istanbul, we’re including a side-trip along Turkey’s Aegean Coast. The fabulous ruins of ancient Ephesus and the world-renowned Museum of Underwater Archeology in Bodrum (Halicarnassus) are just some of the highlights of this trip.
Because our Jazz Festival group will be small, we’ve been able to book special hotels and restaurants not suitable for larger groups. We pride ourselves on the individual attention we give to each tour member, so please note: Space for this tour is limited. The program in Turkey is only $2450 per person, double occupancy, and it’s a bargain!
Remember, if you’d like something different—just ask. The Festival actually runs a full two weeks, July 2-16. Perhaps you want to be in Istanbul for the entire Festival? Or maybe you want less music and would prefer to visit more archaeological sites? Whatever you’d like, know that we are experts when it comes to custom arrangements for individuals and special-interest groups
Click here to see details for the tour we are offering.
For questions, please call Holly Chase at 941.330.8738 or email holly@hollychase.com