By Heidi Trautmann

J a z z in Town

Jazz – Gypsy Jazz – Ersen Sururi and his Gypsy Jazz Quartet– making the walls of the Bedesten shake. What a wonderful music, what a wonderful performance. The music started with pieces by Django Reinhardt and ended with real hot gypsy music. Can you visualize the atmosphere rising to the high dome of the Bedesten and our body temperature with it?

Ersen Sururi : Viola 
Kadir Evre : Guitar
Huseyin Altan: Guitar 
Cahit Kutrafali: Contrabass

All world class musicians. More than once I heard Ersen Sururi play and Cahit Kutrafali in Kyrenia and Nicosia.  Ersen founded this Quartet. His family was present and his father was obviously enjoying the concert just as we all did. The Bedesten was full with jazz lovers or fans of the musicians. Jazz in Cyprus? There is more than you think. I was reseaqrching this question two years ago. See my article No. 188 under Cyprus Art News on my website.

http://www.heiditrautmann.com/category.aspx?CID=8373432144

Ersen Sururi was born in Nicosia in 1967, started playing the piano and viola at the age of 11 years. He managed many groups in Cyprus, participated in the American Embassy’s famous jazz workshops with professionals from New York, is known internationally. He is part of the Lefkosa Municipality Theatre company and composes and plays for them.

In the concert on October 14 in the Bedesten, all musicians had their musical solos which were enthusiastically applauded for. That was a special delicacy.

There will be more concerts on the agenda during the Festival; please check with our Cultural Events Calendar or with my website. The Festival was organized by the Naci Talat Foundation with the intention to bring cultural life and with it guests into the Old City. The concerts concentrate on the venues Büyük Han, Naci Talat Peace and Guest House and the Bedesten, all in the same area, beautiful typical Cypriot buildings.