7:00pm – Hüsnü Şenlendirici

10:00pm – Wonderland ft. Hüsnü Şenlendirici & İlhan Erşahin

Legendary Turkish clarinetist Hüsnü Şenlendirici graces the festival stage for a rare solo concert at 7pm, showcasing his signature sound that bridges Anatolian soul with jazz improvisation. At 10pm, he reunites with saxophonist İlhan Erşahin for Wonderland—a genre-bending collaboration that fuses jazz, electronic textures, and Turkish folk into a hypnotic late-night journey.

HÜSNÜ ŞENLENDİRİCİ

Born on July 12, 1976, in Bergama, İzmir, Hüsnü Şenlendirici is a world-renowned clarinet virtuoso raised in a family of musicians. His grandfather played both clarinet and trumpet, while his father, Ergün Şenlendirici, was also a celebrated trumpet player. Surrounded by the sounds of music, Hüsnü picked up the clarinet at the age of five and was deeply influenced by the musical traditions of the Aegean and Anatolia.

He studied at the Turkish Music State Conservatory of Istanbul Technical University but left after four years to pursue a professional career. A pivotal point came when he joined the Magnetic Band and began collaborating with master percussionist Okay Temiz. This partnership led to international tours where Hüsnü stunned audiences with his captivating solo performances and improvisational flair. His distinct command of the clarinet quickly earned him acclaim on the world stage.

In 1996, Hüsnü teamed up with the New York-based acid jazz collective Brooklyn Funk Essentials, forming the groundbreaking group Laço Tayfa. Their collaborative album In the Buzzbag fused Turkish folk with funk, jazz, and global sounds, drawing international attention. This project was followed by Hüsnü’s debut solo album Bergama Gaydası in 2000, released under Doublemoon Records. The album was later distributed internationally by Traditional Crossroads, expanding his global reach.

Throughout the 2000s, Hüsnü became a key figure in popularizing the G clarinet (sol klarnet), an instrument traditionally used in Turkish music. His work with ensembles like Laço Tayfa, his own group Saz Arkadaşları, and his genre-defying trio Taksim Trio (with bağlama master İsmail Tunçbilek and kanun virtuoso Aytaç Doğan) cemented his status as a trailblazer in contemporary world music.

He has performed at major festivals and venues around the globe, including Expo 2001 in Hannover, New York’s Central Park, the Istanbul Jazz Festival, and many more. In 2010, he collaborated with tabla legend Zakir Hussain in India, followed by a U.S. tour with the New York Gypsy All-Stars. This tour included stops at top cities and a guest appearance at Berklee College of Music, where he led workshops on Turkish music and modes.

Hüsnü’s discography includes ten albums, including Hüsn-ü Klarnet (2005), Hüsn-ü Hicaz (2011), and Hüsn-ü Avare (2015), each pushing the boundaries of Turkish and world music. He is celebrated for his unique ability to blend traditional Turkish melodies with jazz, funk, and classical influences—all delivered through the expressive voice of the clarinet.

A passionate ambassador of Turkish music, Hüsnü Şenlendirici continues to inspire audiences around the world with his soul-stirring performances and innovative musical vision.

İlhan Erşahin & Wonderland

Ilhan Ersahin is a saxophonist, composer, producer, club owner, festival curator, and record-label founder whose career defies easy definition.

Born in Stockholm to a Swedish mother and Turkish father, he grew up on a mix of rock, jazz, Brazilian music, and Turkish sounds before discovering ska, funk, punk, and reggae. Picking up the saxophone led him to jazz icons like Coltrane and Davis, and eventually to Berklee and New York’s East Village in the early ’90s. There he worked at Sweet Basil Jazz Club, immersed himself in the scene, and honed his craft on straight-ahead jazz.

By the mid-’90s, influenced by trip-hop and electronic music, he began blending jazz with dub, reggae, rock, and beyond. In 1998 he launched Wax Poetic, featuring a young Norah Jones, which set the tone for his eclectic, forward-looking approach.

In 2002 he opened Nublu, a legendary East Village club that became a hub for global collaborations, spawning projects like Love Trio, Nublu Orchestra, and Istanbul Sessions, as well as the “Nublu Sound.” His festivals in São Paulo, Istanbul, and New York further cemented his reputation as an innovator.

Ersahin’s music reflects his life: a cross-cultural, genre-blurring pursuit of what’s real and what’s next.

Wonderland / Harikalar Diyari(in Turkish) is a project I started up in 2002 with the great gypsy clarinetist Husnu Senlendirici. We had been playing a couple of years prior to that and I became very interested in starting to explore the sounds and smells of Istanbul. Since I was a child, we as a family used to travel to the south of Turkey on summer vacation from Sweden. My memory from those days was that the 70’s arabesque/turkish music was coming out of the bus speakers, the radio, and from open air movie theaters. It was like the golden era of Turkish music and it’s still ringing in my ears. This is what I’m trying to portray in a way with this band– the feel of it, how it feels to me in my memory. With Husnu adding his arabesque/gypsy way is really something.

NY Gypsy Fest Day 3: Hüsnü Şenlendirici & İlhan Erşahin

NY Gypsy Fest Day 3: Hüsnü Şenlendirici & İlhan Erşahin