Tolgahan Çoğulu & Sinan Ayyıldız Duo

📸 Yiftach Belsky

The virtuosic pairing of Tolgahan Çoğulu & Sinan Ayyıldız Duo can certainly lay claim to be the world's first microtonal guitar and double-necked saz duo. Indeed it was Tolgahan Çoğulu who invented his instrument, an 8-string classical style guitar with layers of moveable frets that enable micro-tonal adjustments, allowing him to perform the varied scales (makam) of Turkish music whilst maintaining the sonic essence of the classical instrument.

📸 Jacob Crawfurd

The duo was formed in 2013 and scored a YouTube hit that year with their arrangement for Aziza Mustafa Zadeh's song, Boomerang. Since then they have performed at numerous festivals and venues across Europe. Their sound is a unique showcasing of polyphonic Turkish folk music filtered through mellifluous improvisations informed by contemporary and classical sensitivities which they have described as Makam Jazz. They also received a prestigious “Concert Tour Support” award at the 26th Istanbul Jazz.