Istanbul Sessions (feat. Erik Truffaz, Alp Ersönmez, Turgut Alp Bekoğlu & İzzet Kızıl)

Saxophonist and composer Ilhan Ersahin has played with pianist George Cables and trumpeter Wallace Roney, recorded solo albums, and led the Drum & Bass-oriented unit, Wax Poetic. On Istanbul Sessions, Ersahin, who is of Turkish and Swedish descent, leads a group comprised of three Turkish musicians: bassist Alp Ersonmez, drummer Turgut Alp Bekoglu, and percussionist Izzet Kizil. The Swiss-born trumpeter Erik Truffaz joins the dynamic group for this 2010 release. “Freedom” opens with an exciting stretch of drumming before Ersahin enters with some nice tenor; Truffaz joins him to flesh out the horn statement and add solo runs. On “Bosphorus,” Truffaz uses an effect on his horn that recalls Jon Hassell’s watery tones. The atmospheric “Doors to Heaven” finds Ersahin and Truffaz filling the air with finely shaped lines as cymbals sound and percussion rattles. The catchy “Les Ottomans” comes off like an appealing jazz cover of an indie-rock song, while the mid-tempo “Our Theory” finds Truffaz letting loose late-Miles-like blasts over a steady beat.