Seven years ago Murat Aydemir and Christos Barbas recorded their first album “The Mountain and the Tree” in Istanbul, containing original compositions for Tanbur & Ney. Since then they have played concerts in Greece, Spain, Japan & Cyprus developing further the interaction and relation between them. Their new album “Book of Birds”, recorded in Brussels in October 2024 for the Seyir Müzik label, brings together contemporary compositions rooted in the modal traditions of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Gathering works from prominent composers such as Ross Daly, Kelly Thoma, Evgenios Voulgaris, and Sokratis Sinopoulos, the duo explores new repertoire that fits the expressive possibilities of the tanbur–ney combination—long regarded as an ideal vehicle for the classical Ottoman-Turkish makam music, particularly within the Mevlevi tradition.
As the album developed, the recurring theme of birds emerged—an image deeply present in Sufi poetry, symbolizing the meeting of the material and spiritual worlds, messengers between earth and sky, and the strength of community and shared stories. Through the resonant timbre of the tanbur and the meditative breath of the ney, Aydemir and Barbas navigate these symbolic landscapes with improvisation, nuance, and attentive listening. Book of Birds reflects the duo’s artistic growth and commitment to evolving their craft, while celebrating their friendship and the wider creative community that shapes and inspires their music.
