DOUBLE SALIH
Two Shores of the Aegean Sea
Songs and music from Anatolia & Rumelia
Salih Nazım PEKER
divane, kopuz, djura, vocals
Salih Korkut PEKER
cümbüş, guitar, vocals
The acoustic voice-and-strings duo DOUBLE SALIH brings to life the intimate atmosphere of the taverns and cabarets of the Aegean Sea — from Izmir to Athens, from Istanbul to Thessaloniki.
With their voices and contemporary string instruments, the cümbüş (pronounce djumbush) and the divane, the duo ventures into an innovative interpretation of the traditional repertoire from both sides of the Aegean Sea, adding their own signature touch of blues, bluegrass, flamenco, and rebetiko.
Two Salihs, One Double Raki
“DOUBLE” because both musicians share the same first name, and also in reference to the iconic drink of Aegean taverns, the glass of raki or ouzo, which is traditionally ordered in a "double" shot from the waiter.
DOUBLE SALIH brings together two artists in an acoustic duo who have explored the folk music universe in an experimental approach.
After their first recording Mapushane Çeşmesi (The Prison Fountain) released in 2017, the group gained wider recognition with the song Mican, featured in the highly popular Turkish TV series Çukur. Since then, the string duo has been performing on stages across Turkey and beyond.
Rumelia and Anatolia
Rumelia (meaning "land of the Romans," that is, the Byzantines) is the region that once designated the Balkan Peninsula of the Ottoman Empire, a region where Hellenic, Turkish, Slavic, and Latin influences still intermingle today; while Anatolia referred to the region of the empire located east of the Aegean Sea.
The taverns and cafés on both shores — Rumelia and Anatolia — of the Aegean Sea served as true academies of music, where musicians shaped a distinctive repertoire and a unique musical culture.
Recent and upcoming concerts:
Istanbul Jazz Festival, Matrix Rotterdam (Netherlands), De Centrale (Belgium), Bursa International Music Festival (Türkiye), Last Penny (Ankara), BRDCST Festival (Belgium) …
Two contemporary string instruments
The cümbüş, forged from the banjo and the oud, was invented in 1930 in Istanbul by Zeynel Abidin Bey, a gunsmith and luthier originally from Skopje, Macedonia. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk gave the instrument its name, meaning “movement” or “musical entertainment”. Equipped with a metal sound box and a skin soundboard, the cümbüş can produce a more powerful volume of sound and resonance than its counterparts such as the oud or the bağlama (saz). Thanks to its removable and adjustable neck, cümbüş is very easy to transport, which will contribute to its rapid spread across Rumelia and Anatolia, where it will be fully adopted in many cities.
The divane was designed in the early 2000s by engineer Yavuz Gül, who sought to create an instrument combining the playing technique of the bağlama (saz) with the deep, low-pitched tones of the lavta (a microtonal lute). Its morphology resembles that of the bağlama, but it features a distinctive bridge, strings, and tuning pegs. Shortly after its appearance, the divane quickly attracted the attention of musicians, particularly in western Turkey.
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