Habil Aliyev (1927-2015) - Playing of Habil Aliyev - Zabul Tesnifi, Çargah Tesnifi, Segah Tesnifi, Dogah Tesnifi - LP released in Soviet Azerbaijan in 1976

Here a wonderful LP by the great master, accompanied on Balaban, a double-reed wind instrument similar to the Armenian Duduk, which has here the function to provide a drone, played by N. Alakhverdiyev, and on Naqara, a kettle drum, played by Ali Amiraslanov. The Duduk is sometimes used to provide a drone in Azerbaijani Mugham music.

flac
mp3

Habil Aliyev (1927-2015) - Kemencheh from Azerbaijan - Bayat-e Shiraz, Dogah & Segah - Cassette released in Iran probably in the late 1980s or the 1990s

Here a beautiful cassette by the great Habil Aliyev, perhaps the greatest Kemenche master of the 20th century. I still remember vividly the moment, in the 1970s, when I first really became aware of the magic of his music: I had the old Bärenreiter Unesco LP Azerbaijan on my record player and had fallen asleep for a moment and woke up to the sound of his Kemenche. In the first moment I didn't know where I was and was just completely amazed about the sounds of this exquisite music which I perceived as the two voices of lovers in an extremely intimate conversation which went directly deep into my heart.

The cassette contains on side 1: Bayat-e Shiraz and on side 2: Dogah & Segah.

In 2015 we had posted an LP by him. Next we will post another cassette released in Iran and then another LP from 1976.

flac
mp3

Mirror and Song - A collection of 28 cassettes of regional and religious music of Iran published in Iran, recorded in 1994 - Cassette 2: Ashiq & Mugam Music of Eastern Azerbaijan

Side A: Ashiq Music

Track 1 & 3: Ashiq Hassan Eskandari (Vocal & Saz)

accompanied by Balaban & Ghaval

Track 2: Ashiq Rasul Ghorbani (Vocal & Saz)

accompanied by Balaban & Ghaval

Side B: Mugam Music - Mugam Rast

Baha' ad-Din Khorasani (Vocal) 

Ostad Ali Salimi (Tar)

Shamin Mohammadpour (Kemencheh)

Ali-Reza Samadi (Ghaval)

wave

mp3

Djanali Akperov sings Azerbaijanian Mugams - LP published in Soviet Azerbaijan in 1982

Here we present a LP by one of the greatest Mugam singers of the second half of the 20th century. In the last post there were already four pieces by him. Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris published in 1996 a wonderful double CD by him, which is still available on their website: here

Here part of their liner notes:

"The mugham, the classical music of Azerbaijan, holds pride of place among the oriental music for its beauty, its power of expression and its extraordinary vitality. Although this music is monodic and modal, each musician, whether singer, lute (târ) or bowed lute (kemânche) player, enjoys a great freedom of interpretation which provides its special depth. The mugham offers, at one and the same time, outstanding diversity and unity: the alternance of compositions and semi-improvisations, of free and regular rhythms, of joyful and sombre moods, is balanced by the smoothness with which all these elements are linked together without interruption.

Born in the 1940s, Djanali Akberov learnt music from his family. Then, he followed Syed Shushinski's courses at the Zeynali School of Music, while he became impregnated with the art of Khân Shushinski through his concerts and radio broadcasts. Hence, Djanali Akberov is an heir of the two greatest singers of the first half of the 20th century and an outstanding figure in Azeri classical music. Despite his age of 50 when these recordings are made, Djanali maintains the qualities of voice tone and vocal suppleness of a young singer with, in addition, an understanding, a depth of interpretation that only comes with maturity."

wave

mp3

Azerbaijan Mugams Destgakh - Box of 4 CDs containing a box of 5 LPs published 1989 in Azerbaijan plus another LP

In the mid 1990s a friend lent me from his collection a box of 5 LPs of Mugams from Azerbaijan plus a single LP. Unfortunately I don't remember anymore if it was a friend from Amsterdam or from Berlin. Both had (and have) quite a collection of Melodia LPs from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and other Soviet Oriental Republics. A friend digitized the LPs, scanned the covers and made out of them a four CD box. The LP box "Azerbaijan Mugams Destghakh", published in 1989, consists of 7 LPs, but the one we got had only 5 LPs. The LPs 1 and 5 were missing. The singers are the greatest and most traditional of the second half of the 20th century. In the booklet the biography of Janali Akparov is missing. The 5 LPs of this box are here on the first 3 CDs:

CD 1: Alim Ghasimov (Qasimov) - Bayat-i-Kurd & Aqakhan Abdullaev - Bayat-i-Shiraz (LP 2), Janali Akparov - Cargah & Yakup Mammadov - Zabol-Segah (LP 3).

CD 2: Janali Akparov - Orta Mahur, Dugah & Kurd Shahnaz (LP 4), Arif Babayev - Humayun (LP 6, side A).

CD 3: Arif Babayev - Rast (LP 6, side B), Aqakhan Abdullaev - Rahab & Bayat Qajar (LP 7).

CD 4 contains a LP of two less known, but excellent singers.

CD 1 & Scans - wave

CD 2 - wave

CD 3 - wave

CD 4 - wave

CD 1 & Scans - mp3

CD 2 - mp3

CD 3 - mp3

CD 4 - mp3

Aghakhan Abdullayev - Dorna - Musiqi Sanati Azerbaijan (Art Music of Azerbaijan) - Cassette published in Iran

Aghakhan Abdullayev (Aqakhan Abudllaev) is one of the most important and most traditional Mugham singers of Azerbaijan. Born in 1950, he is a student of the great Haji Baba Huseynov (1919-1993) and is regarded as the guardian of Mugham. He is also one of the most important teachers. Amongst his students is the famous Alim Qasimov. Here we present a cassette recorded and published in Iran. A wonderful CD has been published in France by Inédit - Maison des Cultures du Monde. 

See: http://www.maisondesculturesdumonde.org/node/238

wave

mp3

Habil Aliyev (28 May 1927 – 8 September 2015) - In his memory: LP "Kemancha" published in 1990 in Azerbaijan

We only received recently the sad news that Habil Aliyev, the great Kemencheh master from Azerbaijan, past away on september 8th. Here we offer in his memory a LP we bought at a memorable concert in Cologne in 1993 in which he participated. Both me and my wife were very impressed by his stage presence and his very noble, almost regal bearing and of course his exquisite music. I knew him already before from recordings. It might have been that I bought this LP already before in an Iranian shop in Cologne which used to have a whole pile of LPs from Sowjet Azerbaijan. He was probably the greatest Kemencheh player of the 20th century, held in very high esteem in his country and also in Iran, where he performed reguarly, occasionally with Shajarian, and also recorded. I have two Iranian cassettes by him, which a couple of years ago were republished on CD. The CDs can be obtained from info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com.

In the west there was only one CD published in 1992 by Auvidis, no longer available for many many years, and two CDs of the ensemble which I saw in 1993 in Cologne, published in 1994 by Institut du Monde Arabe/Blue Silver, also no longer available for many years and never republished. The ensemble consisted of Habil Aliev, the great tar player Ramiz Gouliev, the two singers Zahid Gouliev and Elza Gaybalieva and the nagara player Ali Amiraslanov. These two CDs contained also a number of solos by the two instrumentalists. It's a pity that they were on the market only for quite a short period. 

For more info see:
http://habilaliyev.az/eng/diskoqrafiya/plastinka.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habil_Aliyev

Side 1:

1. Dilkesh and Tesnif

2. Chahargah

Side 2:

1. Bayati-Hajar and Tesnif

2. Bayati-Shiraz and Tesnif

accompanied by:

Agagusyn Samed-Zade - Garmon (used here as a drone)

Beyukaga Muradov - Nagara (in the Tesnifs)

wave

mp3

Zhuzhu had posted this LP already in 2011 on her excellent blog, but only in mp3 format. See: http://zhuzhulingo.blogspot.de/2011/08/blog-post_05.html

Alim Gasymov (Qasimov) - Destgah - Azerbaijan Mugams 1 - LP Melodiya C30 24023 006 (1985)

Here one of the earliest recordings by Alim Qasimov. 

See also our post "Azerbaijan - Zerbi-Mugams and Shikeste".

LP first published 1985/1986. This edition is from 1990.

Alim Gasymov - Vocal

Bahram Mansurov - Tar

Talyat Bakikhanov - Kyamancha (Kemenche)

Vartan Avetisov - Daf

Side 1: 

Mahur-Hindi (17:51)

Side 2:

Shur (23:11)

Download

Historical Recordings from Azerbaijan - Part III - Kececi Oglu Mehemmed (1864-1940) - LP published in Azerbaijan in 1991

The third LP of a series of three LPs, published in Azerbaijan in 1991, with historical recordings from the beginning of last century by three of the greatest Mugham singers of those times, contains performances by Kececi Oglu Mehemmed (1864-1940). The recordings were made in 1906.  

Kecəci Oğlu Məhəmməd
(1864 - 1940)

Side 1:
1. Humayun (3:17)
2. Shushtar (3:12)
3. Shushtar Tesnifi (3:03)
4. Coban Bayati (3:05)
5. Heyrati Tesnifi (3:05)
6. Arak (3:05)
7. Segah (3:04)

Side 2:

1. Rahab (3:13)

2. Tac (3:01)

 3. Tehranim (3:02)

4. Yetim Segah (3:17)

5. Osmanli Tesnifi (3:04)

6. Qarabag Shikesti (3:07)

Download

Many thanks to Danny for bringing this LP from Azerbaijan.

Historical Recordings from Azerbaijan - Part II - Meshedi Mehemmed Farzelioglu ( ? - 1962) - LP published in Azerbaijan in 1991

The second LP of a series of three LPs, published in Azerbaijan in 1991, with historical recordings from the beginning of last century by three of the greatest Mugham singers of those times, contains performances by  Meshedi Mehemmed Farzelioglu ( ? - 1962) (also written as Məşədi Məhəmməd Fərzəli oğlu). The recordings were made between 1906 and 1914.  

Side 1:

1. Budaq Sari Genceli (3:13)

2. Hesar (3:01)

3. Shushtar (3:01)

4. Alma (2:58)

 5. Durn Gedek (3:24)

6. Bayati (3:08)

Side 2:

1. Bayati-Esfahan (3:49)

2. Celal Xaliq (3:14)

3. Ceyranim (3:02)

4. Yeri Dam Üste Yeri (3:05)

5. Bayati Ecem (3:20)

6. Tesnif (3:16)

Download

Many thanks to Danny for bringing this LP from Azerbaijan.

Historical Recordings from Azerbaijan - Part I - Cabbar Qaryagdioglu (1861-1944) - LP published in Azerbaijan in 1991

We start here to post a series of three LPs, published in Azerbaijan in 1991, with historical recordings from the beginning of last century by three of the greatest Mugham singers of those times. We start with the most famous: Cabbar Qaryagdioglu (his name is also written as Jabbar Garyagdyoglu).

"Jabbar Garyagdyoglu (Jabbar Mashadi Ismayil oglu’s stage name) was born on 31th of March in 1861 in Shusha and died on 20th of April in 1944 in Baku. The khanende (singer) is one of the eminent khanendes who played a big and important role in Azerbaijan music history. A newer stage of khanendes school is closely bound with his name. Jabbar Garyagdyoglu got his education in Shusha in Kharrat Gulu’s class.

Having a very wide diapason and charming voice he was compared with the well-known italian singer Caruso. Russian poet Sergey Yesenin called him “The prophet of Eastern music”. Getting well-known in Karabakh, Ganja, Shirvan, Baku mugam meetings Jabbar also became famous in Iran, Transcaucasia and in Middle East countries. 

Jabbar Garyagdyoglu was the first in music histort who sounded mugam from theater and concert stages. Thus, in 1897 Jabbar Garyagdyoglu was the performer of Majnun in “Majnun over Leyli’s grave” by Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev.

Khanende Jabbar created a trio which included in it tar player Gurban Primov, and kamancha player Sasha Oganezashvili and this trio performed for 20 years. During 1906-1912 Jabbar Garyagdyoglu’s performs was recorded by the “Sport-Record”, “Ekstrafon” and “Grammafon” stockholder companies in Moscow, Warsaw and in Kiev. 

Returning from Warsaw in 1912 he gave “Sharg konsertileri” (“Eastern concerts” name of program) in Moscow. Different from former artists Jabbar firstly sang gazals (poems) in mugams and tasnifs in Azerbaijan language. “Istekanin deshilsin”, “Tiflisin yollari”, “Irevanda khal galmadi”, “Nakhchivanin gediyinden asheydim” tasnifs was created by Jabbar. 

Jabbar Garyagdyoglu was the winner of the Transcaucasia Art Olympiad held in Tiflis (|Tbilisi) in 1934. Seyid Shushinski, Bulbul, Khan Shushinski, Zulfi Adygozelov and many others continued Jabbar Garyagdyoglu’s traditions."

from: http://www.mugamradio.az/performers/khanendes-singers/jabbar-garyagdyoglu

The recordings on this LP were made between 1905 and 1915.

Side 1:

1. Simai-Shems (2:46)

2. Mensuriyye (3:04)

3. Xumar Oldum (3:03)

4. Gyl Achdi (2:55)

5. Yetim Segah (3:13)

6. Deshti Tesnifi (3:03)

7. Manendi-Moxalif (2:44)

8. Mahur Tesnifi (2:58)

Side 2:

1. Qargamisham (3:08)

2. Mahur Tesnifi (3:08)

3. Arazbari (3:02)

4. Bayati Qacar (3:24)

5. Mirza Hüseyn Segahi (3:03)

6. Mahur Tesnifi (3:57)

7. Qarabag Shikestesi (4:07)

Download

Many thanks to Danny for bringing this LP from Azerbaijan.