Here we present a MP3-CD from Uzbekistan with four singers of the Shashmaqam of Bukhara.
"Bukharian Jewish singer and Honored Artist of Uzbekistan Isoq (Isak) Katayev sings various traditional SHASHMAQOM songs in the Tajik (Central Asian Persian) language. These songs are known throughout the world of knowers of Shashmaqom music (or the folk music of Central Asia - Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Bukharian Jews). Katayev was quite popular in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the USSR. He worked for many years on the State TV and Radio of the Uzbek SSR with many famous performers where he later was bestowed with the title Honored/Merited Artist of the Uzbek SSR (Uzbekistan). He was a great master of traditional Uzbek and Tajik Music and Shashmaqom. After immigrating to the United States in the 1990's he joined the Ensemble "Shashmaqom" (under the leadership of Fatima Kuinova, Honored Artist of Tajikistan) and later Ensemble "Maqom" (under the leadership of Ilyas Mallayev, Honored Artist of Uzbekistan) with whom he travelled and performed all over the world. Sadly, he passed away in 2006 and is buried at the Bukharian Jewish section of a Long Island, New York Jewish Cemetery. His memory will never be forgotten, may he rest in peace!"
Izro (Ezro) Malakov is another Jewish Shashmaqam singer who after a successful career emigrated to New York. "People's Hofiz (Singer) EZRO MALAKOV. Born in Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan, he
is a singer of traditional Bukharian Jewish and Central Asian songs as well as
the cantor at the Beth Gavriel Bukharian Synagogue in Forest Hills, NY,
USA."
Both these singers were present on the CD: "The Ilyas Malayev Ensemble - At the Bazaar of Love - Timeless Central Asian Maqam Music", published 1997 in the US by Shanachie and unfortunately for many years no longer available.
The other two singers, Karim Mo'minov and Siroj Aminov, are a generation older than the first two and don't seem to belong to the Jewish community. They were members of the ensemble which under the direction of Yunus Rajabi recorded the legendary complete Shashmaqam, published in the first half of the 1960s . See our post of this box of 16 LPs here.
The MP3-CD contains four folders, one for each of the four singers. They can be downloaded separately.
Many thanks again to our dear friend Danny who brought this CD from a trip to Uzbekistan.
