The 3rd Beylikdüzü Jazz Festival will kick off today and continue until Sept. 30 at Beylikdüzü Atatürk Culture and Arts Center (BAKSM) in Istanbul. The festival will host popular Turkish jazz musicians and offer unforgettable music. The five-day festival will feature performances by Hakan Toker, Şirin Soysal, Bilal Karaman and Manouche A La Turca Group, Neşet Ruacan, Şenova Ülker, CanSu Aslan and Dolunay Obruk.

Today's opening concert will star the Toker Trio, consisting of Hakan Toker on piano, Volkan Topakoğlu on contrabass and Ekin Cengizkan on drums.

Most popular jazz tunes

Tomorrow, Şirin Soysal, one of the leading vocalists and songwriters of the Turkish jazz world, will offer an unforgettable night for Istanbul residents with her beautiful pieces. Erdem Göymen on drums, Eylül Biçer on guitar, Baran Say on contrabass and Barış Büyükyıldırım on piano will accompany the young musician, who has captured the hearts of jazz lovers with her albums "Bir Şeyler Var" ("There is Something"), "Mutlu Melankolik" ("Happy Melancholic") and "Ziyaret" ("Visit"). On Sept. 28, Bilal Karaman, a world-famous name, will be on the stage with his band "Manouche A La Turca" to combine jazz and Turkish melodies. Young and experienced jazz guitarist Karaman will be accompanied by Mehmet Mutlu and Özgün Bora on guitar and Baran Say on contrabass. Vocalist Canan Duran, violinist Muhammed Yıldırır and tar artist Nevcivan Özel will be special guests of the concert.

Jazz masters

On Sept. 29, Neşet Ruacan and Şenova Ülker ft. Cansu Aslan will perform for music lovers. Jazz masters Neşet Ruacan and Şenova Ülker will be accompanied by Deniz Dündar on drums and Anıl Deniz on contrabass. Young vocalist Cansu Aslan, who represented Turkey in Finland by winning the Nardis Jazz Vocalist Competition, will also be on stage with these accomplished musicians. The finale of the festival will welcome young, talented jazz vocalist Dolunay Obruk. At the concert to take place on Sept. 30, Gürtuğ Gök will be on saxophone, Baturay Yarkın on piano, Eren Turgut on bass and Burak Cihangirlik on drums. The artists will offer an unforgettable night filled with wonderful songs.