The dates are still to be confirmed but the period is definitely July 2008 for the International Istanbul Jazz Festival where you can be sure the programme will be one of the most interesting and intriguing as the guests have always been of international relevance. Names such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Stan Getz, Ornette Coleman, Youssou N’Dour during the years have played and entertained crowds of music lovers in Turkish starry and unforgettable nights.

This year the Istanbul Jazz Festival celebrates the 15th anniversary and as every year the festival will award a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award to one of the old jazz masters for their contribution to the world of music. For these reasons the festival has a wide resonance attracting large crowds of jazz lovers from Turkey and the rest of the world for a packed two-week programme of jazz concerts taking place in various venues around the city. The exact dates are very close! From 2-16 July 2008 these are the names on the stages: Caetano Veloso ( 10 July); Herbie Hankcock (2 July); Al Jarreau (16 July); Lenny Kravitz (30 July) ; Paolo Fresu and his trumpet on 5 July and so on! Tickets range from 30 YTL for students to 80 YTL ( from about 15 euros to 45 euros). For all information, photos, programmes, costs and concert booking see the official website iksv.org/caz

If you are taking your holiday a little later this year, and you will be missing the Jazz Festival, don’t panic! In October Istanbul treats its music lovers with another packed appointment of concerts and stages of 10 days. The Akbank Jazz Festival programme includes concerts that range from the classical sounds of traditional jazz to the modern sounds of experimental jazz. Akbank Jazz Festival hosts international groups, artists and musicians to perform at various locations in this lively city. The dates although still not official seem to be between October 8 and October 18, 2008.

The Akbank Jazz Festival is known to be a festival that brings jazz to every corner of Istanbul, Ankara and zmir this year the festival celebrates its 18th anniversary. Unfortunately the programme is still not updated and we invite you to check the official website  later o n this year.  pozitif.info. Last year masters such as Archie Shepp Quartet who celebrated his 70th birthday, Mark Murphy, The Phil Woods Quintet, Nublu Orchestra as well as many critically acclaimed young jazz musicians took the stage during the festival and literally took a piece of heart of their fans!

For accommodation solutions be happy! Istanbul has still very fascinating old turkish lodgings to offer and at very affordable prices. You can choose to stay in a youth hostel and pay around 7-13 euros per night or choose a familiar guest house with a terrace on the roof with a marvellous view on the blue mosque with prices that range between 18-25 euros per person or a nice hotel better if furnished with a stylish Turkish taste and providing you will all genres of comforts such as the famous Turkish baths. We have selected some accommodation providers among Flashbooking’s website proposals: GEZGINCI HOSTEL Istanbul and BUHARA HOTEL Istanbul