It’s the 10th International Alanya Jazz Festival these days. And although I’m not so familiar with contemporary artists in this scene there is one name on the list that made me count down the hours to the concert: Karsu Dönmez. A very young woman from Amsterdam with Turkish roots and an incredible talent.
I have been following her career since the beginning. And I have been dining with B and friends in her father’s cozy Turkish Restaurant called Kilim in Amsterdam where she occasionally plays the piano and serves some tables in turns as well. I tell you, this down to earth and very gifted girl is one to watch. She composes her own music and writes her own lyrics too. Her songs are not only about love and heartbreak.. she will take you around the world from the glamour and swing of a New York City jazz club to the nostalgic feeling of Istanbul’s Bosporus and to the deep emotional melodies from the Black Sea. With her voice and music she has the ability to reach out to every single person in a very mixed crowd and to leave an impression on them that will last a long way.
Her stage performance, her energy and her band at the concert were just mind blowing. We had goose bumps all over, we held our breath at times and laughed out loud at her Turkish/English translations in-between the songs. She rocked the boats on the water, she rocked us on our chairs and no doubt that she woke up a few old ghosts on the Alanya castle as well. Her voice, combined with the coulisse of Alanya’s Red Tower, the sea, the cooling evening breeze and the glittering lights on the other side of the bay were just magical. And I was so impressed with how much she had grown since the last performance I had seen from her about two years ago. She was great then and she was even greater now. One can only imagine to which level she will be able to take her career in the future. It’s only a matter of (very short) time for this girl to become a very big international star.
Last night I walked back to the stage to see who was playing that night. I was still thinking about the night before as I suddenly heard her voice on full volume singing ‘Gelevera Deresi’ from one of the boats. Clearly I was not the only one who was still on a Karsu high in this town. She definitely left a musical mark on Alanya.
Dear Karsu: thank you for this unforgettable evening. 'Je hebt de sterren van de hemel gespeeld' (sorry guys, it's impossible to translate this dutch expression into English). We hope that you enjoyed Alanya as much as we enjoyed having you here. You are truly an amazing artist. I hoope to see you on stage again any time soon, be it in Alanya, Amsterdam or Istanbul. Inshallah! :)
No comments :
Post a Comment