MICHALIS KOULOUMIS, TRISTAN DRIESSENS | Music for Shepherds & Sultans, Vol. II

MICHALIS KOULOUMIS, TRISTAN DRIESSENS
Music for Shepherds & Sultans, Vol. II

Release date: 20.11.2026
Catalogue number: 2GN037

FORMAT: CD / DIGITAL

FEATURED ARTISTS: Michalis Kouloumis: violin, compositions, Tristan Driessens: oud, compositions, Miriam Encinas; percussions (riqq, bendir, davul, kudüm, daff), Christos Barbas: ney, Serkan Halili: kanun.

TRACKLIST

01 Nikriz Beraber Taksim (3:11)
02 Nikriz Saz Semai, Tristan Driessens (6:19)
03 Nikriz Mandıra, Tristan Driessens (3:36)
04 Neveser Kopanica “Anafi”, Christos Barbas (2:35)
05 Neveser Longa, Michalis Kouloumis (3:26)
06 Uşşak Ud Taksim (3:11)
07 Uşşak Peşrev, Tristan Driessens (7:34)
08 Uşşak Saz Semai, Tristan Driessens (8:27)
09 Ney Taksim (2:22)
10 Acem Kürdi Saz Semai, Tristan Driessens (6:48)
11 Kanun Geçiş Taksim (5:54)
12 Pireotikos Peşrev, Michalis Kouloumis (7:17)
13 Pireotikos Keman Taksim (4:33)
14 Pireotikos Saz Semai, Michalis Kouloumis (5:30)

Total time : 70:51

CREDITS

Recorded 12th – 15th March 2024
Concertgebouw Brugge, Belgium
Engineer: Rainer Arndt
Edit, mix & mastering: Rainer Arndt
Cover photography: Ara Güler
Design: Eleni Lomvardou
Produced by Seyir Muzik

Category:

Description

Music for Shepherds & Sultans is not a nostalgic search for authenticity buried in the ashes of the past. It stands as living proof that, through the original works and improvisations of true artists as Michalis Kouloumis and Tristan Driessens, a flame can pass from generation to generation without ever fading. Often hastily labelled “traditional” or “ethnic” because it is monodic and does not rely on Western harmony or instruments, makam music now reveals itself as a distinctly contemporary and evolving musical genre. As it has throughout history, the compositions of this duet once again affirm that makam music belongs neither to a single nation nor to a specific geography; it is, in essence, universal. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau emphasized in his Dictionary of Music: “The only true harmony is unison, the single voice.”

The five artists behind this album do not merely understand the makams, their intervals, and melodic structures; they inhabit their aesthetics, their depth, and their profound sense of pleasure. Like jazz, flamenco, fado, or rebetiko, New-Makam music is now expanding into a universal dimension. Music for Shepherds & Sultans Vol. II stands as a luminous example that will inspire future generations of young musicians.

Kudsi Erguner, Paris, 2 January 2026

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