Okay Temiz (read Turkish version here | listen to music samples)
Introduction
Okay Temiz is one of the rare artists who sees music not as a limitation, but as a geography waiting to be discovered. Mixing the universal language of rhythm with the ancient breath of Turkish music, Temiz, who earned the title "Drummer of Two Worlds", has been striving to create his own unique sound textures in the music world for over half a century. This search, extending to breaking traditional molds and even transforming industrial materials like tractor parts and exhaust pipes into special instruments, moved him beyond being just a drummer to a position as an intercultural music pioneer. International platforms where he performed with giants like Don Cherry and Johnny Dyani, and projects introducing ney music to the jazz world through the "Zikir" album, solidified Temiz's place among the pioneering figures of jazz in Turkey. His career, awarded 5 stars by Down Beat magazine, and the "Day of Rhythm" events he has organized regularly since 2002, show the productivity that dominates the artist's period after returning to Turkey. Temiz, who continues to be actively featured in 2026 sources, continues to be a live part of music history by performing at over 3,600 concerts and 308 festivals.
Biography
Okay Temiz, born in Istanbul in February 1939, began his musical journey with a musical family background like his mother Naciye Temiz. Temiz, who started his professional music life in 1955, developed his competencies regarding instrument making by studying at Tophane Art Institute between 1957 and 1959. The most distinct breaking point in the artist's career occurred with his settlement in Sweden in 1967. In this period, Temiz, who directed his foreign studies by founding the "Sevda" group with trumpeter Maffy Falay, started to become known internationally by giving concerts with world-famous names like Don Cherry and Johnny Dyani in subsequent years. The publication of the concert he gave in Ankara in 1971 also reinforced his effectiveness during this period.
Temiz's musical identity was shaped not only by his drum and percussion skills but also by the vision of synthesizing traditional instruments with contemporary music and inventing his own instruments. In 1972, the artist who founded the Xaba group with Johnny Dyani and Mongezi Feza recorded three albums with this collective. The Oriental Wind group he founded in 1974 became a significant milestone where traditional Turkish instruments like ney, zurna, and bagpipe met with the jazz structure. Temiz, who turned industrial materials like tractor parts, exhaust pipes, copper drums, and "Water Phone" into musical instruments to create his own unique sound textures, developed an instrumental approach worthy of the title "Drummer of Two Worlds". The "Zikir" album he released with Aka Gündüz in 1979 is considered an important beginning that introduced ney music to the jazz world.
In the early 1990s, Okay Temiz continued his work in Finland, and in 1998, he returned to his homeland by settling in Turkey with the support of the Ministry of Culture. The 5-star evaluation given by Down Beat magazine for the *Magnetic Band* album in 1995 and the Lifetime Achievement Award given by İKSV certified the artist's success in global and local fields. Temiz, who organizes the "Day of Rhythm" event every year since 2002, has gone down in music history with albums and recordings such as *Witchdoctor's Son*, *Oriental Wind* and *Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1982*; performing at 308 festivals and 3,600 concerts. It is stated in sources that active works for the year 2026 and participation in events like the 33rd Istanbul Jazz Festival exist; Okay Temiz's death date has not been finalized with current data.
Style
Okay Temiz's musical identity is defined by rhythm going beyond being merely a measure of time and sound turning into an architectural structure. Located at the intersection of jazz, World Music, and Turkish music synthesis, the artist speaks through the sound textures created by percussion and instruments he invented himself rather than vocal narration. With his original inventions like Magic Pyramid, Artemiz, and "Water Phone", and copper drums adding a universal touch to his music; transforming industrial elements like tractor parts and exhaust pipes into instruments is the product of an experimental approach that pushes the material limits of sound. This approach positions Temiz as an innovative structure named "Drummer of Two Worlds" that breaks traditional molds and pushes the limits of material.
His repertoire reflects the process of reimagining traditional Turkish music elements starting with the "Zikir" album in a jazz context. The use of instruments like ney, zurna, and bagpipe within the framework of the Oriental Wind group is among the clearest examples of this synthesis embodied in the albums "Witchdoctor's Son" and "Oriental Wind". Collaborations with names like Don Cherry, Johnny Dyani, and Mongezi Feza reinforce the boundary-defying nature of his musical personality. Tracks like "Utopia and Visions", "East Breeze", "What Reason Could I Give" and "Gece | The Night" display the excitement and rhythmic depth at this intersection point. The five stars he received from Down Beat magazine in 1995, this appreciation given for the "Magnetic Band" album, shows that his artistic success is recognized on an international scale.
His emotional world moves with an energy that stamps his long career where he performed at 308 festivals and 3,600 concerts. Throughout his career crowned with the İKSV Lifetime Achievement Award, through the "Day of Rhythm" event he has organized since 2002, he has placed rhythm culture at the center of life. The music of Temiz, whose active concerts are stated in sources in 2026, addresses the listener as a universal language blending East and West, traditional and experimental. The warmth created by tones leaving reflections from north to south and cultural transitions is the defining element of Temiz's music.
Outstanding Songs and Works
Okay Temiz's discography is not merely a record list of a drummer; it holds the nature of an archive where the rhythmic searches of East-West synthesis are solidified. This journey, starting with *Witchdoctor's Son* published in 1976, turned into searching for a universal sound language with the albums *Oriental Wind* (1977) and *Zikir* (1979). Especially the *Zikir* work prepared with Aka Gündüz is accepted as an important milestone that carried Ney music to the jazz world.
The pieces performed by Temiz are based on the texture created by his invented instruments and traditional rhythms. Among the most distinctive works of his career are the titles *Utopia and Visions*, *East Breeze*, and *What Reason Could I Give*. The track *Gece | The Night* from the *Witchdoctor's Son* album stands out as one of the clearest examples of the artist's effort to unite two cultures. The work named *Drummer of Two Worlds* (1980) crowned this synthesis as understood from its name.
The 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival recording (*Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1982*, reprinted in 2022) is among the rare documents where the liveliness of stage performances is preserved. Coming to the 1990s, Temiz deepened his experiences with works like *Green Wave* (1992), *Fis Fis Tziganes* (1991) and *Magnetic Band* (1994), and received an important approval like 5 stars from Down Beat magazine for the *Magnetic Band* album. In subsequent period works like *Reflections from North to South* and *Celebration*, the Turkish music synthesis became more prominent. All this record archive constitutes the sound document of Temiz's experimental approach extending from tractor parts to exhaust pipes and his experience in nearly 3,600 concerts.
Context
Okay Temiz has solidified his place in music history as one of the pioneering names bridging Turkish jazz music on the international arena. His musical journey starting in Istanbul in 1939 gained momentum with his step onto professional stages in the mid-1950s, and deepened regarding instrument making with the education he received at Tophane Art Institute between 1957 and 1959. His settlement in Sweden in 1967 became a critical turning point in his career; here, the "Sevda" group he founded with Maffy Falay and the collaborations he made with world-class jazz figures like Don Cherry and Johnny Dyani proved his mastery in East-West synthesis.
Temiz, especially with the Xaba and Oriental Wind groups he founded in the 1970s, created the local interpretation of the World Music concept by combining traditional Turkish instruments (ney, zurna, bagpipe) with modern jazz rhythms. While the 1979 "Zikir" album is accepted as one of the milestones that introduced ney music to the jazz world, transforming industrial materials like tractor parts and exhaust pipes into musical instruments he invented is counted among the most striking examples of his experimental approach. His own unique sound textures and rhythm-focused structure were enough to define him as the "Drummer of Two Worlds".
With his return to Turkey in 1998, continuing his musical activities domestically, Temiz aims to share his vision regarding the universality of rhythm with the "Day of Rhythm" event he has organized since 2002. Prestigious followers like the İKSV Lifetime Achievement Award and the 5 stars from Down Beat magazine show the artist's recognized effect by international music authorities. It is seen in sources that event records for the year 2026 exist and the artist was active until that date; the fact that the death date is not found in sources indicates that his career is still an ongoing process. The productivity he maintained throughout his music life with 308 festivals and over 3,600 concerts positions him as a unique figure on Turkey's jazz and world music map.
Legacy
Okay Temiz left a definitive legacy in world music by transcending the boundaries of Turkish jazz history. In his professional journey starting in 1955, he stood out as a pioneering figure combining the rhythmic ground of Eastern traditional music and Western jazz. Especially the "Zikir" album published in 1979 opened new paths for inter-genre synthesis by blending the ney melody with jazz aesthetics. This experimental approach became more concrete with the Oriental Wind project and the instruments he designed himself (Magic Pyramid, Water Phone, copper drums), earning him the title "Drummer of Two Worlds".
The works he made with international names like Don Cherry and Johnny Dyani during his period in Sweden reinforced the universality of music. The 5 stars given by Down Beat magazine in 1995 for the *Magnetic Band* album is a critical reflection of this international recognition. The Lifetime Achievement Award given by İKSV after his return to Turkey also confirmed his effect in local music circles. The "Day of Rhythm" event he has organized since 2002 means continuing his mission to pass the rhythmic language of music to future generations.
Temiz, known with the information that he performed at 308 festivals and 3,600 concerts, even tried to use industrial elements like tractor parts and exhaust pipes as instruments to discover the sound potential of material. This path built upon the basic education he received at Tophane Art Institute created a foundation directing the development of jazz in Turkey. Temiz, stated to continue his works until 2026 in sources, maintains his place in the notes of music history as a living memory of Turkish music synthesis and experimental jazz.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Okay Temiz referred to as the "Drummer of Two Worlds"? He bears this title due to his search extending to breaking traditional molds and transforming industrial materials like tractor parts into instruments by blending the universal language of rhythm with Turkish music.
What unique instruments and materials did he use to create his own sound textures? In addition to his own inventions like Magic Pyramid, Artemiz, and "Water Phone", he transformed industrial elements like copper drums, tractor parts, and exhaust pipes into musical instruments.
What are the outstanding collaborations and albums in his career? He worked with names like Don Cherry, Johnny Dyani, and Mongezi Feza; published albums *Witchdoctor's Son*, *Oriental Wind*, *Zikir*, and *Magnetic Band*. Also, the *Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1982* recording is among his important works.
What are the important awards he received and the events he organized? He received 5 stars from Down Beat magazine for the *Magnetic Band* album and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by İKSV. Since 2002, he has organized the "Day of Rhythm" event every year.
What is expressed in sources regarding his current status in 2026? Although it is stated in 2026 sources that he continues his active works, it is expressed that the death date is not finalized with current data.