Jazz Society | Caz Derneği

The Jazz Society which is now active in many cities of Türkiye, was founded in 1995 under the leadership of Özlem Oktar Varoğlu, with the support of jazz enthusiasts such as Sedat Ergin, Ece Temelkuran, Doğan Akın and Murat Artu, all living in Ankara at the time.

The Ankara International Jazz Festival, which began with the METU Jazz Days in 1996 and has been held continuously since then, and the Bodrum International Jazz Festival, which has been held since 2017, are among the association's major activities. Furthermore, collaborations with Embassies, Ministries, institutions, and organizations, and the resulting projects, have reinforced the association's role as a developer and expander of jazz.

As a non-profit, non-governmental organization, the association aims to promote and foster a love of jazz music in Türkiye. Since its founding, it has provided performance opportunities to numerous esteemed jazz artists and supports budding young musicians with Jazz Scholarships.