Founded in 1973 under the leadership of Dr. Nejat F. Eczacibasi, the Istanbul Jazz Festival, held this year at various venues all over the city from July 2-16, was a celebration of jazz and other styles of music in one of the world’s most historic and beautiful cities. While past headliners include Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Charles, this year’s installment includes present day heavies like George Benson, Brad Mehldau, Peter Cincotti, SMV as well as local jazz artists, world musicians, pop stars and rockers.

My original plan was to take a Balkan Boat cruise along the Bosphorus on July 11 after stopping by a classical music concert by famed Turkish pianist Idil Biret and the Whitehall Orchestra conducted by Michael Nebe. This night of music was held on the grounds of the Topkapi Palace, where the Ottoman Sultan ruled and lived for five centuries. The program featured the sage but still spry pianist performing works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Elgar, but the night began with a DJ set (which seemed odd for a classical concert) by esteemed conductor Cem Mansur.

Unfortunately after much of the audience was admitted, a group of 50-100 religious protestors from a group called Alperenler Ocaklari stormed the front gates of the palace, ripping down and burning concert posters, and clashing with police. Apparently There were no casualties, but police closed the main entrance, and in turn, I missed my Balkan boat ride.

The show went on as planned, but everyone including performers had to leave through a different gate. For about an hour the grounds were locked down. To the untrained eye, everything inside during the concert appeared normal, though an apology was made to Biret. Nonetheless, talking to some Turks in attendance revealed that locals are troubled by these outbursts – the ultra-conservative faction does not represent all Turks even as their political power grows.

Much of Istanbul’s younger jazz cognoscenti were at Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall for Brad Mehldau’s performances. His fine trio (with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard) played an early evening, sold-out show on July 13, so the pianist performed a second set solo later the same night. The 75-minute solo program included Mehldau originals as well as jazz standards and covers of Radiohead (he’s covered several songs by the band) and Alice In Chains (which was more of a surprise). Early in the set, he leaned on some up-tempo propulsive rhythmic playing that seemed intent in blowing the cobwebs out of the audiences’ ears. Mid-set, he dove into conventional jazz standard “Get Happy” – a breath of fresh air after the roiling assault. From there things became more varied in tempos and styles, making the second half of the set and encore more enjoyable if more conventional.

Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini performed under the festival’s “New Folks” heading. Sadly, one of the few days of rain during the festival moved this performance from the grounds of the beautiful new contemporary museum to the Emek Movie Theatre. Undaunted, the singer spoke on more than one occasion of being overwhelmed by the honor of being able to perform with her band in such an amazing city.

Torrini’s voice was similar to fellow Icelander Bjork, but Torrini was a bit less whimsical than her more famous counterpart. Her lyrics were more linear as well, focusing on such broad themes as happiness (no doubt tough duty when you deal with the long winters of Iceland), love and the beauty of life’s small moments. Played by a five-piece band, the music of the 90-minute set ranged from downtempo trip-hop grooves to a more rocking psychedelic vibe filled with pounding drums and distorted guitars. In the old non-air conditioned theater, the more upbeat material made the biggest impact on a young crowd. In the heat, much of the slower material dragged just a bit, but would have been perfect for a hot summer night outside.