By Julián Muñoz Villarreal and Elizabeth Stern
The final concert of the Istanbul IKSV Jazz Festival took place this past Wednesday evening against the lush backdrop of Boğaziçi’s historic South Campus. Sponsored by The European Azerbaijan Society, “Encounters with Masters” (an apt title) boasted a delightful collaboration between leaders in the Azerbaijani and Turkish jazz scenes. The outdoor setting allowed everyone to enjoy the cool breezes wafting off the Bosphorous, as students sprawled on the lawn and cats slipped between seats.
Azerbaijani master pianist and composer, Salman Gambarov, helmed the troupe. Gambarov, known for embracing diverse musical styles, brought all of his highly anticipated color and verve. Accompanying Gambarov was the established guitarist and Artistic Director of Nardis Jazz Club, Önder Focan. His decades-long collaboration with master trumpeter, and veteran of the Cuban jazz scene, Şenova Ülker, heightened the moving tone of their shared moments onstage. On the drums, Ferit Odman–a relative newcomer to jazz, and an Istanbul native–unified the group with a pulsating undercurrent. The searching, climactic release of Odman’s longest solo was a highlight. In a minute, he seemed to distill the history of jazz as an art of both struggle and freedom. The bass guitarist/double bass player was not listed in the program, though brought a smooth and rhythmic component to the ensemble.
Adding to the evening’s endless variety, Fatih Ahıskalı, an oud player with the band Yeni Türkü, joined for the eighth piece. His fresh, folky strains seamlessly combined strains of traditional Middle Eastern folk with smooth jazz. Ahıskalı’s integrative styles, like the broader project of this international performance, is particularly poignant in a city that transcends Eastern and Western cultures.
The evening’s high point was undeniably the voice of the charismatic Yıldız İbrahimova. Close your eyes, and you might think a second trumpet has joined Ülker. But open them, and there is İbrahimova, vocally producing verbatim brass sounds, with effortless riffs across four octaves and enchanting throat singing. The concert would have benefited from lending her and Ahıskalı more stage time. İbrahimova’s tongue-in-cheek playfulness and unadulterated joy were nevertheless the catharsis of the concert and a jovial conclusion to the evening and the greater festival.
