A night cruise on the Bosphorus is always a good idea, as is a jazz concert by local musicians. Thankfully, The Primetime Cruise gave us the chance to experience both at the same time this summer with their Denizde Caz (Jazz at Sea) series.
The first time I heard about Denizde Caz was when I joined the Yabangee team last fall. But by the time I learned about this concert series, it was already over. I was upset that I had missed the performances of talented jazz musicians such as Neşet Ruacan, Elif Çağlar, Şenova Ülker, Randy Esen, Ayşe Gencer and İmer Demirer, all of whom played that summer.
So when this summer’s series rolled around, I knew I couldn’t miss out. Luckily, I was able to make it to Denizde Caz’s final concert this September, which featured the Nilüfer Verdi Trio with singer Ülkü Aybala Sunat. The boat opened its doors at 7:00 pm, at which time JoyJazz Radio started playing on board, although the cruise didn’t depart from Kuruçeşme until 9:00 pm. I got there quite early because I wanted to grab a quick dinner and drink before the concert started, and I had been told that The Primetime Cruise’s Snack Bar is quite good. Well, the kitchen didn’t disappoint, and I enjoyed my tasty meal while listening to some jazz play in the background. By the time I finished, I was more than ready for the concert to start.
Just as the food didn’t disappoint, neither did the performance. It was my first time listening to Ülkü Aybala Sunat, and I was enchanted by her covers and her smooth, calming voice. She was accompanied by Nilüfer Verdi on piano and Apostolos Sideris on contrabass. Over the course of the night we were treated to one of the Aşık Veysel’s masterpieces, “Benim Sadık Yarim Kara Topraktır”, and one of the oldest songs about Istanbul “Üsküdar’a Giderken”. Their performance was original and expressive, if I do say so myself. After a small break, they didn’t stop playing until we were about to dock at Kuruçeşme! Overall Denizde Caz was full of good music and an even better view. It was also one of the warmest September nights, and I can’t imagine a better send-off to summer.
I often follow the jazz events going on around town at places like Nardis Jazz Club and Salon IKSV, and try to take in at least a few performances from the many on offer through the Istanbul Jazz Festival, the Akbank Jazz Festival or Garanti Yeşili. All that to say, I love jazz and wish there were more jazz-only venues in the city. So I’m more than happy that I have just discovered a new one. Now if only next summer would hurry up and get here so that we can take in some more smooth jazz played by some of Istanbul’s best with an incredible view of Istanbul as the backdrop.
