Asian Trips :: Central Asian Series, Vol. 6: Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan

Asian Trips - Central Asian Series, Vol. 6: Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan

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Manufacturer: Smithsonian Folkways

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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0093074052525
Label: Smithsonian Folkways
Manufacturer: Smithsonian Folkways
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Smithsonian Folkways
Release Date: 2007-09-25
Studio: Smithsonian Folkways

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Central Asian Series, Vol. 4: Bardic Divas Badakhshan Ensemble: Song and Dance from the Pamir Mountains (Music of Central Asia, Vol. 5) Music of Central Asia Vol. 2: Invisible Face of the Beloved Music of Central Asia Vol. 3: Art of the Afghan Rubâb Music of Central Asia Vol. 1: Tengir-Too Mountain Music of Kyrgyzstan

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Summary: Authentic Taste of Azeri Mugham Tradition
Comment: Part of the Smithsonian's monumental release of Central Asian music, this particular volume focuses in on the Mugham tradition of Azerbaijan (also spelled Azerbaican). Azerbaijan is a small nation to the northwest of Iran, tucked into the Caucasian Mountains, but readers might notice strong similarities between the Mugham and similar traditions in Central Asia, all the way up to the Uighurs of Xinjiang. And theres a good reason for that - all the Turkic peoples share a common musical heritage!

Alim Qasimov, accompanied by his daughter Fargana, is the single greatest performer and interpreter of the Azeri Mugham tradition, and this release shows why. Accompanied by traditional Middle Eastern instruments such as the daff, nagara, kamace, tar and duduk, Alim and Fargana perform both traditional Mughams, ghazels by Seyyid Azim Sirvani and (on the last half of the disc) more contemporary, cross-cultural pieces. This is mystical music symbolizing pure devotion to Allah, the essence of the Sufi tradition, and I strongly recommend anyone interested in Azeri and Turkish music check this out. As part of a deluxe boxed set, this CD comes with a DVD which includes interviews with Alim and Fargana, a list of traditional Azeri instruments, a map of Central Asia, and information on the Agha Khan Trust for the Arts. The interviews are in Azeri, with English subtitles, and provide a great deal of insight into Azeri musical tradition.

This is a phenomenally beautiful release, and I am sad to say that I missed Alim and Fargana performing live in concert around the time of it's release. And definitely check out some of the other CDs in this series, which promises to cover all of Central Asia (thus far there are, I believe, six CDs out). For more of Alim and Fargana, check out some of their earlier releases, such as 'The Art of Mugham' and 'Love's Deep Ocean,' both of which are excellent albums.

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