A Musician Freed From Self-Importance Through Music: Dominic Miller

This artical was originally published in jazzdergisi.com on September 11, 2026.

Widely known as Sting’s guitarist, Dominic Miller has 14 studio albums of his own and countless collaborations behind the work that has become part of our collective musical memory. He is returning to Istanbul once again, accompanied by a superb group of musicians. The concert will take place on Friday, September 25, at 9:00 PM at Zorlu PSM, Turkcell Platinum Stage.

Dominic Miller is the first international artist I represented in Türkiye. I laid the foundations of my current work in the music industry with him. We have done three concerts together, a fourth is on the way, and we are already planning for 2027. My work is not limited to connecting artists with concerts and managing the process; it also involves activities that contribute to an artist’s image and visibility. While planning the media campaign for his September 25 concert, I also wanted to interview him myself, asking him the things I was curious about, as well as questions I already knew the answers to but wanted others to hear too. So now, moving back and forth between my manager hat and my journalist hat, I’d like to share Dominic Miller with you.

Thoughts on Turkish jazz not making it abroad

The moment I saw the Ukrainian Institute’s Jazz Prize post, this article practically wrote itself. The best jazz group of 2025 gets a European tour, and there are two special awards: one offers a one-day studio recording, the other a consultation meeting with a record label.

In Turkey, jazz does receive a fair amount of support. How that support is used, however, is an ongoing debate within the sector — and a topic for another piece altogether. What follows is simply a murmur about enabling jazz produced in Turkey to cross national borders.

The Ukrainian example is state-supported. Expecting that kind of support for jazz here may be a luxury, but private institutions investing in jazz could easily make it happen. As someone who has been watching local jazz largely stand still for over 20 years — despite its clear potential — I genuinely wonder why such an initiative has never fully materialised. In the past, some international support was provided by jazz institutions, but much of it went to projects that were not even adjacent to jazz. This, again, opens up the long-standing debate about whether jazz organizations should be exclusively about jazz. I have always believed that jazz organisations can be supported by non-jazz events that attract audiences and generate resources. However, if an organisation carries the label 'jazz', I also expect jazz to remain at its core. Especially when it comes to international support for local musicians — if that support is provided by a jazz organisation, is it really so unreasonable to expect the recipients to be jazz musicians?

Blue beard is the new jazz

Like the previous one, I wrote the following article after the showcase concerts I watched at Jazzahead in 2021, but I had not publish it. Ron Minis' new album 'SmartPhones, Stupid People' was released on digital platforms on the 1st of September. I strongly advise you to listen. The review is old, but my feelings remain with an added excitement now by representing him in Turkey.

Effortlessly colourful: Rembrandt Frerichs Trio

I wrote the following article after Jazzahead 2 years ago but I had not published it. Rembrandt Trio played at Kaş Jazz Festival on August 26. So I remembered the article J  I'm sorry that I have missed their perormance, hoping to go to their concert at Borusan Sanat in Istanbul on December 3. I highly recommend that you follow, listen and watch.

By the way, I knew the trio as RFT, it seems that they are currently called RT. This is just to explain why I used both names in this article J

Physical, digital or both, and how?

This artical was originally published in jazzdergisi.com on June 25, 2021.

In my previous article about Jazzahead, the world's leading jazz fair and showcase festival, which was held digitally for the first time between April 29 and May 2 this year due to the pandemic, I shared my thoughts about jazz industry in Turkey.

In order to see the reflections of global post-pandemic concert trends in Turkey, I asked a few questions to major players of our music industry. Digital concerts that entered our lives in the absence of physical concerts seem to be permanent in the world, at least as a module because everyone agrees that digital cannot replace live. So what is the situation in Turkey? 

Jazzahead Digital 2021: Jazz seems way ahead of us

 This artical was originally published in jazzdergisi.com on June 2, 2021.

Farewell our beloved ‘Baba Levo’. Who will tell us those stories now?

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on April 19, 2021. 

It is hard to write a memorial. There is an "I wish" behind every sentence, but if only ‘I wish’s had a meaning. So I want to approach the subject with a ‘grateful’ attitude and I am sure everyone who knows Levent Altındağ has something to be thankful about him. Twenty years ago, we released Habbecik’s album as Aura Records, working with him has been one of the most valuable and meaningful achievements of my career. I am grateful to him for adding to my life with his music and presence. 

Notes from Charles Pasi’s journal - Episode #5: ZEBRA

French-Italian singer, songwriter and harmonica player Charles Pasi's fifth-ever and second album from Blue Note Records, ‘Zebra’ was released in February, almost a year later than planned, due to the pandemic.

A night walk in chase of music...

...and some thoughts surrounding 'NightOut'

 

 
This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on August 4, 2019. 

I'm not of those in favour of 'only jazz should be played at jazz festivals'. The benefits of programming concerts by popular non-jazz names and projects with famous guests (as long as they have something to add to the project apart from their name), such as attracting attention to the entire festival, and perhaps more importantly, with the high ticket revenue, supporting the rest of the organisation, cannot be overlooked.  Of course the chosen marketing methods are also important.

I find myself thinking about these while I review the program of Gece Gezmesi (Night Out), which I will experience for the first time this year.

An improvisation ritual conducted by Bobby McFerrin

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on May 18, 2019. 

Photos: Cem Gültepe

When Bobby McFerrin came to Istanbul for the 1st Istanbul Jazz Festival in 1994,  I was his guide. Those couple of days were not only some of the most memorable days of my life, it was one of the most special experiences of my career. When I introduced myself at the airport, with a compassionate smile on his face, he made a 'one minute' sign with his finger, took a small notebook out of his pocket, wrote something and handed it to me. He wrote, "I don't speak the day before my shows and rest my voice, so today I will only speak by writing." Indeed, he wrote all day and not just his own questions, but the answers to our questions as well. When I saw him the next day, the first thing I heard from his voice was my name. I think I will never forget how graceful he was.

Morcheeba still rocks...

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on May 13, 2019.

Photos: Cem Gültepe

When I enter the hall for Morcheeba's concert at Zorlu PSM Jazz Festival, I am being met by Ross Godfrey's guitar riff in Never Undo,  the opening track of their latest album 'Blaze Away'. A nice piece to start the concert. The hall had just begun to sway to the music,  lead singer Skye Edwards makes an impressive entrance from the left.  With her red bowler hat, leaving her face in the dark and her outfit of the same color, but looking like a shadow, she sneaks in marching to the beats of the music. Oh no!  I'm at the backmost, the hall is big and full, I am of average height and I wear glasses since I was 3; how will I see the stage? After trying to reach the front a few times, I give up and go by the FOH. It seems it will be pleasant enough only to hear the concert.

Good things are happening at AASAC

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on December 21, 2018

This year, we have participated in the 3rd edition of ‘1 Festival İzmir’, held by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center, with ‘From Mevlana to Anatolian Poets’, a project by Tuluğ Tırpan. I have already written about Victor Wooten and Electro Deluxe concerts that I had seen while we were there but since I had a chance to experience the background of the organisation due to my managerial duties and witness the sincere effort that we can rarely see these days in such organisations, I wanted to write a supplementary article about the festival and AASAC in general, even though it’s been a while since the festival.

Old school transformed into brand new: Charles Pasi

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on November 21, 2018

I found out about Charles Pasi last December. It was my brother who introduced me to his music, he had discovered him on Spotify. My brother and I love to share music with each other. I must say, I had my first music education in his room and he still manages to introduce me to new music, apparently the student hasn’t become the master yet.

Making Good Music is Only a Part of the Job

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on November 20, 2018

Fotoğraflar: Fatih Bilgin

Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Centre is on the final day of its ‘1 Festival Izmir’ event, organised for the third time this year. The festival’s closing concert is by French funk, jazz and soul band Electro Deluxe.

Roy Hargrove Quintet - Strasbourg Saint Denis

Çok erken oldu / A very early loss 😢

"I'm Marcus Miller"

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on October 26, 2018

Fotoğraflar: Fatih Bilgin

This year, we are participating in the third edition of ‘1 Festival Izmir’ with Tuluğ Tırpan’s project  ‘From Mevlana to Anatolian Poets’. We will be playing on October 24 in Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center and we will probably have played when this article is published. Tuluğ Tırpan on piano, Zara on vocals and Burcu Karadağ on ney are the soloists of ‘Mevlana - Alchemist  Symphonic Poem’, written by Tuluğ Tırpan for ‘Mevlana year’ in 2007.  Okan Yalabık reads passages from Mesnevi and Su Güneş Mıhladız presents a modern sema show. Naci Özgüç conducts the symphony orchestra consisting of the members of Karşıyaka Chamber Orchestra and Izmir State Symphony Orchestra. The first half of the concert consists of Erdal Erzincan’s bağlama concerto and interpretation of some songs by Anatolian poets.

The festival, where music and love talk: Kavkaz Jazz

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on June 3, 2018
 
“I want to thank each musician who took part in Kavkaz Jazz Festival. In spite of politics, conflicts and possible negative feedback, they come and play along. They show great example of being human. They stand on stage together with absolute respect towards each other. Every joint concert is a celebration of humanity. We feel united and we are definetely stronger together. This is our message to our multicultural societies, nations and authorities. Maybe we cannot influence the politics but we use cultural diplomacy to strengthen mutual understanding among the conflicted, we break stereotypes, and after all, we symphatise with each other. I am so grateful to musicians who support our idea and make their contributions. They are not only jazz ambassadors but also peace ambassadors. In a world with dominating negativety, we create modern positive narratives, share happy memories and this is priceless.”

Jill Scott & George Benson - Summertime

Keşke Jill Scott hep böyle takılsa... Leziz... / A delicious performance...

You Can’t Sell 13 Episodes Without Filming the Pilot First

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on August 18, 2017.

Bozcaada Jazz Festival took place for the first time between 28-30 July. It could have been blood, sweat and tears behind the festival that turned out to be a jazz vacation for us festival-goers but instead there was hard work, meticulous effort and thankfully laughter. This festival, which was organised by young people who are passionate about what they do, was a risk taken but it has reached its audience and was shared just like any heart-felt job.

Kavkaz Jazz, jamming up the borders!

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on July 5, 2017.

This was my second time at Kavkaz Jazz Festival. In 2016, we opened the festival with Tuluğ Tırpan Quartet. We all left with a smile on our faces, however, altough I had a feeling about what’s being done over there, I’ve realised only this year that the festival is playing a very important role in the region. This year from Turkey, electric bass player Şentürk Öztürk, half of the Songs From a  Breeze project that came as a breath of fresh air into our jazz scene, participated in the festival. He took part in a project starting from scratch and an educational program. I was there to watch, observe and feel, now I’m trying to put this experience into words to share it with you.

Kavkaz Jazz Festival is held in Tblisi, the capital city of Georgia that I fell in love with at first sight. I don’t know if I lived here in one of my past lives or if it’s the Georgian blood from my father’s side, but everytime I go there I feel at home.