Tristan Driessens: oud, compositions
Levent Yildirim: doholla, bendir, riqq, percussion set-up
The partnership of Belgian oud player Tristan Driessens and Turkish doholla virtuoso Levent Yıldırım is a journey rooted in mutual respect and a shared sense of freedom when it comes to expressing the joy of being a musician on stage. The duet has been working side by side through a time period of nearly ten years of musical camaraderie, from recording classical Ottoman music with Turkish ney master Sadreddin Özçimi to exploring Indian music from a jazz perspective with French double bass player Brice Soniano and the Soolmaan Quartet. While Tristan Driessens showcases a consistently bright melodic playing style rooted in Turkish classicism, Levent Yıldırım is widely considered the foremost pioneer of the doholla (Egyptian bass darbouka). He is directly responsible of the blossoming of this instrument around the globe. On every other concert, Levent showcases his technically dazzling signature style through extended solos that enhance Tristan’s compositions. Together, the duet conveys to the listening experience a guaranteed effects of surprise.
As of 2026, Tristan Driessens & Levent Yıldırım continue to finetune their friendship, resulting in their first full length duet album intitled A Tribute to the Masters – 20th Century composers of Istanbul.
Photo credit: Hooman Jalidi
