Necdet Yaşar

Necdet Yaşar (1930 - 2017) is a Turkish tanbur lute player, band leader, theorist and teacher. Yaşar is noted for his command of the Turkish makam melodic modes, his influential tanbur techniques, and the construction of his taksim improvisations. A founding member of the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble, he performed throughout the world as a cultural ambassador for Turkey and taught twice at the University of Washington (USA). In 1991, the Turkish government awarded him the title of "National Artist" He directed the ensemble until 1995 when he retired. He died in Istanbul on 24 October 2017.