İstanbul West Side Collective
İstanbul West Side Collective is a music collective established and grown by musicians from various backgrounds in 2019 with the aim of achieving a genre-bending and inclusive musical style. Among the genres it draws inspiration from are various forms of jazz, funk, Turkish folk, psychedelia, afrobeat, ethio-jazz, and elements of free improvisation. In 2022, İstanbul West Side Collective won the Young Jazz competition organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV). Their debut album, Collection I, features seven tracks that create an eclectic musical spectrum where distinct boundaries blur. Currently working on new albums, the band will perform at the Bova stage on October 3 as part of the 34th Akbank Jazz Festival.
Ural Durak: Vocal, percussion
Utku Gürler: Trumpet
Ali Ramiz Barut: Tenor saxophone
Kemal Ergün: Tenor saxophone
Sinan Cem Yücel: Piano, flute
Berke Can Agagündüz: Guitar
Doğukan Abuhanoğlu: Bass
Fırat Balkaya: Drums