ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 28, 2007 "“ The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts will hold its 14th Annual Istanbul Jazz Festival in venues throughout Istanbul from July 3-18, 2007. Sponsored by Garanti Bank, the Festival will host over 40 concerts devoted to the art of jazz and other musical genres such as pop, world music, Latin, classic & alternative rock, and many more.

In celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, some of the world's most renowned jazz artists will participate in the event. American jazz entertainers include Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis, and Michael Bolton, along with such Turkish and International jazz musicians as Ayhan Sicimoğlu, Sergey Zhilin, the Sibel Kose Band and Michiel Borstlap. Other entertainers performing throughout the duration of the festival include Robert Plant & the Strange Sensation, the Istanbul Chamber Orchestra, Blonde Redhead, Antony & the Johnsons, and José González.

Since 2002, the International Istanbul Jazz Festival has awarded the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' to musicians dedicated to aiding in the development of the jazz genre in Turkey and throughout the world. At this year's festival, the 2006 winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Selçuk Sun, will be performing with Norwegian sensation, Bodil Niska. As for future talent, the festival will hold a "Young Jazz" concert series with performances from up-and-coming jazz musicians.

Because of this year's many interesting venues, jazz will not be the only form of art present at the festival. The Ä°stanbul Archaelogical Museum"”exhibiting many Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman ancient artifacts"”and the Hagia Eirene Museum"”an 8th century church with its original atrium still in tact"”are two of the 11 venues, where the music from the festival will accompany some of Turkey's most priceless works of art. The Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre, a great architectural sight and Istanbul's biggest open air theatre, is another of the festival's impressive locations.

There will be a number of creative collaborations at the festival. At 9 p.m. on July 10 Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees will be performing with the Philharmonia Istanbul in the Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre. The performance will be a special tribute to the late producers, Arif Mardin and Ahmet Ertegün. At 10 p.m. on July 17 Spike Lee will be master of ceremony at the Sepetçiler Kasrı, a historic structure on the shore of the Golden Horn. The performance will mingle selections of his films with Terence Blanchard's jazz quintet and the Istanbul Chamber Orchestra. These are only two of over 30 performances taking place at this year's festival.

Tickets for the Festival may be purchased at Biletix sales channels (www.biletix.com), Garanti Call Center, (www.garanti.com.tr) and AKM Box Office. Prices vary by performance and seating level. Visit­­­­ http://www.iksv.org/caz/english/index.asp?a=1 for more information and a complete schedule of performances throughout Istanbul.

For information about travel to Turkey, call 1-877-FOR-TURKEY or contact the Turkish Culture and Tourism Offices in New York at 212-687-2194 or in Washington D.C. at 202-612-6800, and visit www.tourismturkey.org or www.kulturturizm.gov.tr.

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