Search - Various Artists :: Music Central Asian 6: Alim & Fargana

Authentic Taste of Azeri Mugham Tradition

Zekeriyah | Chicago, IL | 07/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

The Doyen of the Azeri Mugham

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 06/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Three reasons to consider obtaining this album of Alim Qasimov and his daughter Fargana are the music, the enclosed booklet of explanatory text and photographs, and the accompanying DVD movie, perhaps the best among the series, which provides some keen insights into the music and the art of its performance. The music is mainly devoted to a single mugham (maqam or mode) divided into a suite of seven sections with six ghazals, or poems. Four, some Western-composed, songs follow. Qasimov on this recording has the support of a large ensemble of balaban obe (akin to the mournful Armenian duduk), kamancha stand-up fiddle, tar lute, oud, and naghara drum.



As for the 2005 recording, the sound is very fine with slight echo for spatial volume, but the vocal perfomance lacks that peculiar spark as found on his 1997 live concert album, which also features a classical mugham, and of his collection of folk songs and ghazals on his popular Love's Deep Ocean album. (The musicians, however, are splendid and play powerfully and with flair.) There IS something special performing before a large public audience, and perhaps the seriousness of this Music of Central Asia series may also have had an effect. But this is only a minor criticism; the album is highly worthy for its many features."