Musiqi-e Milal-e Musalman - Music of the Islamic People: India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan - A box of six cassettes released in Iran in 1996

On the 9th of August 2018 we posted two cassettes out of this box. Now we have the complete box again and decided, to post it. The post of 9th of August we have deleted.

This box was published by the same organization as the series of 18 albums "Local Iranian Music", each containing six cassettes, from which we posted up to now only the volume on Baluchestan. We plan to post in the future some of the volumes on Khorasan.

The box consists of these volumes:

Vol. 1: Ustad Bismillah Khan - India

Vol. 2: Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Pakistan

Vol. 3: Adina Hashemov - Tajikistan

Vol. 4 & 5: Davlatmand Kholov - Tajikistan

Vol. 6: Alim Qasimov - Azerbaijan

There is a booklet with the set, but unfortunately only in Farsi.

Vol. 1: Ustad Bismillah Khan - India

Bismillah Khan needs no introductions as he is one of the most popular classical Indian musicians with a very long carrier and countless LP and CD releases.

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Vol. 2: Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Pakistan

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan also doesn't need any introduction being worldwide the most widely known traditional artist from the Orient and Asia. There are around 200 CD releases by him.

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Vol. 3: Adina Hashemov - Tajikistan

Adina Hashemov is in the west hardly known at all, but in Tajikistan he is one the most popular folk music singers. The only release in the west is to my knowledge a 21 minutes long track on a CD published by the Belgian label Fonti Musicali: Tadjikistan - Musiques Populaires du Sud (1991).

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Vol. 4: Davlatmand Kholov - Tajikistan (1)

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Vol. 5: Davlatmand Kholov - Tajikistan (2)

Davlatmand Kholov is a well known and in Tajikistan very popular artist, who created a new national, so called "classical" music, based on the music of Badakhshan. His goal was to replace the real classical music which is the Shashmaqam and the Maqam of the Ferghana Valley and which are in Tajikistan the same as the ones performed in Uzbekistan, the only difference being that in Tajikistan the poems are in Tajik (Persian). But Davlatmands music is still folk music and can't compare with the real classical Maqam music in its refinement and greatness. See our many posts on Shashmaqam and the Maqam tradition of the Ferghana Valley.  

There are three CDs by Davlatmand, one by the French label Inedit, another, more recent one by the Russian label Long Arms Records and a double CD on the Iranian label Barbat, performing together with some Iranian musicians.

For more information on the artist, see the booklet to the CD published in France.

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Vol. 6:Alim Qasimov - Azerbaijan

Alim Qasimov again is a widely known traditional artist who toured a lot in the west and has quite a number of CD releases published in France, Germany and the US. He is considered one of the greatest voices in the world. We had only few posts with him up to now. Here he is accompanied by Malik Mansurov on Tar and Elshan Mansurov on Kemenche.

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Cassettes 3 to 5 were digitized by our friend KF years ago. That is the reason why these cassettes have track divisions. Many thanks to KF.

Iskhak Katayev - On the pages of Tajik Makoms - LP released in Soviet Tajikistan in 1983

Iskhak (Isoq or Isaac) Katayev (d. 2006) was a famous singer of the Shashmaqam of Bukhara. He belonged - as so many of the Shashmaqam singers - to the Jewish community and emigrated at the end of his life to the United States. Apparently he lived part of his life in Tajikistan.

In 2016 we had posted an Uzbek MP3-CD devoted to four Shashmaqam singers. Our singer here was one these four. See there for more information on the singer.

I saw him probably live as part of the Ilyas Malayev Ensemble at two concerts in Utrecht, Holland, at the Oude Music Festival, in the early or mid 1990s. I remember that at the day before they performed they were sitting right next to me in another concert. I was unable to figure out from which country they might come. And a big cloud of a strong fragrance sourronded them which I also couldn't figure out. Only a day later I learned that these were the musicians of the Uzbek Jewish Shashmaqam ensemble from Queens, N.Y. and that the fragrance came from smoking enormous amounts of cheap Russian cigarettes. This was quite an experience and so were also the two concerts: I never had heard Shashmaqam before and was very surprised at the sheer power and loudness of their voices. Very impressing. But I really fell strongly in love with this music only in 1998 at a tour of the Ari Babakhanov Ensemble through Holland and Belgium. With each concert my love for this music became stronger and after the last concert I was so sad that the tour was over.

Here the track info as found on https://records.su/album/21756:

Side 1:
1. Nasrulloi (klassicheskaya melodiya - Dzhazbi)
2. Savti kalon (klassicheskaya melodiya - Soib)
3. Vospominaniye (muzyka nar.- Nazim, Nakis)

Side 2:
4. Ushshoki Samarkand (muzyka nar.-- Zebuniso)
5. YA schastliv (muzyka nar.- Dzh. Kuvnakov)
6. Kashkarchai mugulchai dugokh (klassicheskaya melodiya - P. Khisori)
7. Talkini ushshok (klassicheskaya melodiya - Khusayni)

Iskhak Katayev - tanbur,
Gafur Razykov - dutar,
Mikhail Katayev - doyra (3, 4),
Ensemble of National Instruments (1, 2, 5-7)

Most of the songs belong to the repertoire of Shashmaqam.

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Barno Ishakova (1927-2001) - B. Iskhakova sings Tajik songs - LP released in Tajikistan in 1973

Here we present an LP we recently aquired, unfortunately with a generic cover. But anyway, it is the first LP by this great artist we ever got. She is considered to be the greatest female voice in classic Uzbek and Tajik Shashmaqom music. Born in Uzbekistan she spend most of her life in Tajikistan. At the end of her life she emigrated to Israel. 

The very helpful discography at Catalog of Soviet Records gives the following details:

Barno Isxakova

Side 1:

Sinaxuruş (muz. nar.— Kooni);

Xikojat mekunad (N. Şaulov — Dƶami);

Navruzi saʙo (muz. nar.—Xafiz);

Side 2:

Mugulcai dujux (muz. nar.— Furugi);

Capandozi uşşok (muz. nar,— Maxfi);

Nasri uşşok (muz. nar.—Xafiz)

Most of the pieces are from the Shashmaqam. Noteworthy is that the poets are Persian ones like Hafiz (Xafiz) and Jami (Dzami). Tajik is a language close to Persian while Uzbek is one of the Central Asian Turkic languages. The difference between the classical repertoire in Uzbekistan and in Tajikistan is only that in Uzbekistan the poems are most times in Chagatai, a late medieval form of Uzbek, and in Tajikistan they are in Persian.

On our recent post on Traditional Music Of The Tajik People there was one track by Barno Ishakova. In 2012 and 2016 we posted already three releases by her. We see here again how differently her name can be transcribed.

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Shashmaqam - A private CD from Tajikistan

Academy of Shashmaqam, Dushambe. From left to right you see here the three instruments: 
Dutar, Sato, Tanbur and behind the Doira.

Here a private CD of Shashmaqam from Tajikistan. My dear friend Danny obtained this CD years ago during his trip to Tajikistan. He had met there - I think during his stay in Dushambe, the capital of Tajikistan - a young man who spoke English well and Danny mentioned to him that he was searching for recordings of Shashmaqam. This young man told him that he could obtain some recordings for him. A couple of days later he gave him this CD without any further information.

It turned out that this was a MP3-CD containing around 5 hours of well recorded Shashmaqam. There are three groups of recordings, each containing three pieces: 

Mugulchai:

1. Mugulchai Buzruk

2. Mugulchai Dugoh

3. Mugulchai Irok

Savti (Sauti):

4. Savti Sarvinoz

5. Savti Hijoz

6. Savti Husayni

Silsilai Nav'i:

7. Silsilai Nav'i Makomi Segoh

8. Silsilai Nav'i Makomi Irok

9. Silsilai Nav'i Makomi Rost

Mugulchai and Savti are sections of Shashmaqam. The names after Mugulchai and Savti are the names of the Maqams to which they belong. Savti Sarvinoz is a section of Maqam Buzruk. I don't know to which Maqam the other two Savtis belong. All these are vocal pieces performed by either a female or male singer, accompanied by a small ensemble.

Silsilai Nav'i probably means "chain of melodies", which would mean then that these are a series of melodies belonging to the three Maqams mentioned. These are purely instrumental pieces.

The instruments are Sato, Tanbur, Dutar and Doira.

My guess is that all these pieces are performed by musicians of the Acadamy of Shashmaqam in Dushambe.

Here what a visitor of our blog, hk dutorchi, who had helped us before enormously, said on 21st of Sept. 2018:

"I spoke to Sirojiddin Juraev, the dutar player of the Academy of Maqom Ensemble. He confirmed that these are indeed the Ensemble's recordings. These are reference recordings made for students to learn the pieces, so they are sung intentionally with few ornements. In real performance there should be more.

With regards to the Savti Hijoz and Savti Husayni: they are two of the 12 sho'be (branches) that are meant to be "lost" sho'bes of the shashmaqom, which were recreated by the advanced students of the Academy of Shashmaqom. The Savti Hijoz is put under the maqom Segoh, and the Savti Husayni is under maqom Dugoh, both recreated by Xurshed Ibrohimov."

Thank you so much. This is a very valuable piece of information.

See on the Acadamy of Shashmaqam:

https://folkways.si.edu/academy-maqam-central-asian-shashmaqam-performers/world/music/article/smithsonian

https://www.news.tj/en/news/tajikistan/society/20171024/musicians-from-tajikistans-academy-of-maqam-participate-in-international-musical-festival-in-moscow

There are two CDs by the Acadamy of Shashmaqam: a wonderful 70 minutes Maqam-i Rast. Here you can download the booklet to this CD: 
https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40521.pdf
The other one was released in 2013 by Ocora - Radio France under the title: "Tadjikistan - Chants et musiques classiques".

In 2012 we had posted a complete Shashmaqam, recorded on 16 LPs in the early 1960s. See:

https://oriental-traditional-music.blogspot.com/2012/03/shashmaqam-of-bukhara-box-of-16-lps.html

Over the years we had posted also a number of other Shashmaqam recordings. See:

https://oriental-traditional-music.blogspot.com/search/label/Shashmaqam

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As the original is in mp3 format we post here also only the original mp3 files.

Many thanks to Danny for his generosity.

Abduvali Abdurashidov, founder and director of the Acamedy of Shashmaqam

Pamirian Tunes - Music from Badakhshan, Tajikistan - Double LP released in Soviet Tajikistan in 1978

Here we present an unfortunately incomplete rip of a double LP with music from Badakhshan in the Pamir mountains. Our friend Werner Durand discovered this double LP around 2000 in the collection of someone he used to know. He immediately copied these recordings on CD, or rather he copied as much as fitted on one CD. As he was at that time not that much into this music he didn't make an effort to copy the remaining part to another CD. So we have only 21 tracks out of a total of 27 tracks.

Two copies of this LP are available on Discogs, but the prices are too high for both of us. Unfortunately. But as the recordings are quite rare, we decided to post them as we have them. Perhaps in the future an affordable copy shows up.

This is authentic music of Badakhshan, whereas the music of our earlier post by Davlatmand Kholov is newly arranged music based on this music. This double LP seems to be the only one from the era of LPs. The CD age saw more than 10 CDs.

Here you can download the booklet to one of the first CDs published on the subject: 

https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/unesco/UNES08212.pdf

See also: 

https://iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/keeping-religion-alive-performing-pamiri-identity-central-asia

Many many thanks to Werner for sharing this.

Here the complete track list of this double LP,
taken from https://records.su/album/47843#:

Side 1:

1. Fallak, naigrysh

2. Fallak o Leyli i Medzhnune i Muzyka posle fallaka, naigrysh

3. Fallak o Pamire

4. Viloyatnoma

5. Staryy motiv (sl. Khoki)

Side 2:

6. Ruboi

7. Sanovbar dukhtari chakon

8. Fallak o lyubvi, razluke i rabote

9. Khalo-mo, ruboi

10. Vatan (sl. T. Pulodi)

11. Raznovidnosti napevov-naigryshey fallaka

12. Pamirskiy tanets

13. Ruboyot khalke

Navrussho Kurbonsaidov — tutuk (1); Kalador Rakhmatbekov — peniye i tambur (2), pamirskiy rubob (11); Murodali Safoyev — peniye (3—5), gidzhak (3), pamirskiy rubob (4), kumry (5); Aklimo Aydarbekova — peniye (6—8, 10), doyra (6—10); Shirimo Nazarmamedova — peniye (9—10); Masayn Masaynov — peniye (13), masrud (12, 13)

Side 3:

1. Privetstvennyye ritmy doyr

2. Khushomodi

3. Duduvik

4. Pesnya Dzhami

5. Pesnya Dzhami, variant

6. Svadebnyy tanets i Sho muborak

Side 4:

7. Lalaik bartangskiy

8. Lalaik shugnanskiy

9. Be parvo fallak (sl. K. Shugnoni)

10. Talkyny kuiston, naigrysh

11. Ruboi

12. Kudzho Meravi

13. Dargilik

14. Dargilik i Dargil'modik

Ansambl' doyristok (1), Navrussho Kurbonsaidov — peniye (2, 8, 9, 11, 12), tar (2, 10), vysokiy rubob (3, 4, 11), sitor (8), tambur (9), dutor (12); Murodali Safoyev — peniye i pamirskiy rubob (5), peniye i gidzhak (14); muzhskoy vokal'nyy ansambl', trio doyr (6); Kalador Rakhmatbekov — peniye i pamirskiy rubob (7); Masayn Masaynov — sitor (13)

I don't know which ones from the track list we have in our post. I guess the last ones are missing.

We copied the scans from: https://records.su/album/47843#

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Traditional Music Of The Tajik People - Anthology: Musical Art of the Peoples of the USSR - Double LP released in the Soviet Republic of Tajikistan in 1985

Here we present an interesting double LP of Tajik music. It contains on the first two sides religious and folk music. In most cases I know too little of the music to say what kind of genre it is.

On side 3 there are first one or two pieces of folk music, then some classical instrumental pieces and the last piece is supposed to be by a famous Hafiz (bard), unfortunately in a blown up version where a chorus and percussions usurp the main part, which normally have nothing to do in this music. Sharif Juraev sings only a couple of seconds in the very beginning. Typical bad outcome of cultural politics, which occured not only in Soviet times, but still today. On side 4 there is finally Shashmaqom music. 

Unfortunately there are not many releases of Tajik music available, a few of Shashmaqom and quite a number of CDs of the music of Badakhshan. As far as I know only one or two CDs of the music of the bards (Hafiz) exist.

This anthology is prepared jointly with the Folklore Comission of the USSR Composers' Union. Recordings done in 1954, 1967-1983. Manufactured at the Tashkent pressing plant. Pressed in 2000 copies.

LP 1 & Scans - flac

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Boris Namatiev (Namatiyev) - Zulfi Pareşon - LP published in Uzbekistan/Tajikistan in 1988

Here we present an LP by a well-known Jewish Shashmaqom singer from Uzbekisten, who lived apparently most of his life in Dushambe, Tajikistan. We posted in 2016 a MP3-CD with classical music from Bukhara containing 5 folders. One of these folders with 12 tracks is devoted to our artist. See here. We couldn't find much information on the singer in western languages, but there seems to be some in Russain, like here in the liner notes of the LP. Perhaps someone is so kind to translate the liner notes for us.

And here is already a translation of the liner notes by kkrka kr:

"Boris Namatiev, the Honored Artist of Tajik SSR is an actor of the A. Lakhuti State Drama Theater. During his 40 year career in the theater he has starred in numerous productions of classic plays, as well as plays by Soviet and Tajik playwrights.

Thanks to his solid vocal skills, he was particularly celebrated as an actor in musical plays, such as "The Exam" by F. Ansori (Sharif Ismati), "Arshin mol alan" by U. Gadjibekov (Asker), "The 30 kopeks charge" by Sh. Kiyamov and Farkhad (Kamal - police sergeant), and others.

B. Namatiev has done an outstanding deed in preserving and promoting the musical treasures of the Tajik Shashmaqom. He has made recordings of the most difficult/complex parts of this true pearl of folk art. The present record is the result of a long creative labour by a wonderful Tajik artist."

The recordings were made in 1985-87. Track titles are given in Tajik (which I unfortunately do not speak), followed by bracketed words "classic melody - [poet] (e.g. Hafez, Bedil...)" and once in A4 it says "folk melody".

Many thanks for the translation. Very appreciated!

On this LP the repertoire is from Shashmaqom. The ensemble plays a little in a more contemporary style bordering on Khalq (from or of the people, folk) music.

Here what we found in the internet on the artist (more focused on his acting career):

"NAMATIYEV, BORIS-ABO DAVIDOVICH (1930, Kerki, Turkmenistan). Actor, singer, and producer. Honored Artist (1970) and People’s Artist of Tajikistan (1989). Graduated from the Artistic-Musical  College (1954). Since 1948 - soloist of the orchestra  of  folk  instruments.  Actor of A. Lakhuti  Tajik  State Dramatic Theater. Played more than 100 various roles. Soloist at the children’s Ensemble “Pamir”. Participant of the decade in Moscow in 1957. Engaged in concert production, performing fragments of shashmakom. Repatriated  to Israel in 1992. Created the М.Tolmasov and G.Mullokandov Bukharian-Jewish Theater (1993-2002), where he plays in scene and produces performances: “Yosef-Ha-Tzadik” (by  A.Shalamayev), “Arshin Mal  Alan” (1994), “Esther-ha-Malka” (“Queen Esther” by А.Shalamayev, 1996), “Sacrifice of Isaac” (by B.Namatiyev and N.Yukhananоv, 1998), “Haft Barodaron” (“Seven Brothers”, 1999); “Apa Kalmoki Kaimok” (“Aunt Kalmok”) and “Gardishi Davron” (“Whirlpool of the Times”) – on the plays of А.Shalamayev. From 2002, the theater is renamed as “Theater  of Boris Namatiyev”. His creativity is described in P. Niyazov’s book “Theater of Boris Namatiyev” (2000)."

from: http://www.asia-israel.co.il/Encyclopedia-in-English.html

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Folk Music of Central Asia - West Turkistan - LP published in Japan in 1968

Here we present another LP from Japan which was never on the market in Europe or the US, but this time for license restriction reasons, as the recordings were licensed for sale in Japan only from the Soviet state owned label Melodiya.

On side 1 we have three recordings from Turkmenistan and three from Uzbekistan, on side 2 there are three tracks from Tajikistan and three from Kyrgyzstan, at that time all republics of the Soviet Union.

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