Edalat (Adalat) Nasibov - Ashiq from Azerbaijan - A private cassette from a private concert

Before proceeding to Afghanistan on our journey towards Pakistan and India, we post one more cassette by Edalat Nasibov, the brilliant Ashiq from Azerbaijan. I just discovered it a couple of days ago in my collection. So in order to complete our posts on Edalat Nasibov here it is. 

I vaguely remember that I received this cassette in the early 1990s from an Iranian musician and owner of a gallery for old nomadic carpets in Cologne, Germany. 

My friend KF made many years ago a CD out of this cassette and created nice covers. 

Many thanks to both.

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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.

Dariush Tala'i (Setar) - The Instrumental Radif of Persian Music - Radif of Mirza Abdollah - A box of six cassettes, released in Iran in mid 1990s

Before we proceed on our journey further towards Afghanistan and India, we return back to Iran for another unexpected post by Dariush Tala'i. We received this box recently as a gift from a very dear Iranian friend, Mohsen. Many many thanks to him.

This Radif was recorded in 1992 at the University of Washington, School of Music, Seattle. It was first published in 1994 on 5 CDs by the French label Al Sur. These CDs are no longer available for many years. The Iranian edition on six cassettes was probably published shortly after the French edition. It is also no longer available for quite some time and never has been released on CD in Iran.

Mirza Abdollah (1843-1918), whose Radif is performed here, was one of the most important musicians in the recent history of classical Iranian music. His father Ali Akbar Farahani was the one who collected all the remaining parts of the old classical music and organized them into a Radif. His two sons, Mirza Abdollah and Mirza Hossein Qoli (Agha Hossein Gholi) (1853-1916) transmitted two different versions of this Radif to many students. These two Radifs are the basis of most classical Iranian music since then. 

Ali Akbar Farahani 

Mirza Abdollah

Aqa Hossein Qoli

Ali Akbar Khan Shahnazi

Dariush Tala'i himself is a student of Agha Hossein Gholi's son, Ali Akbar Khan Shahnazi (1897-1985), who was considered the greatest Tar player of his generation. Ali Akbar Shahnazi transmitted the Radif of his father to many excellent students. He also created his own Radif, which he also transmitted. 

But Dariush Tala'i learned also the Radif of Mirza Abdollah, which is the most widely known and used Radif, probably from another of his masters, Nur Ali Borumand (1905-1977), who was the main transmitter of this Radif to later generations. In the booklet to the French edition of this Radif Dariush Tala'i thanks all his masters. Next to the two already mentioned, these are Abdollah Davami, Yusuf Forutan and Said Hormozi. By three of these masters we recently posted recordings.

The Radifs by Mirza Abdollah, Aqa Hossein Qoli (another transcription of his name) and Ali Akbar Shahnazi are all available on CDs and also as books, with complete scores of the Radifs, from the Iranian label and publishing house Mahoor.

Volume 1:

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Volume 2:

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Volume 3:

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Volume 4:

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Volume 5:

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Volume 6:

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Unfortunately on side 1 of cassette 6 something went wrong. We have replaced the faulty file now by a correct one. Sorry for the inconveniance.

People's Melodies of Turkmenistan - LP released in Soviet Turkmenistan in 1979

Here our third LP from Turkmenistan from the collection of Werner Durand. Side 1 has Bakhshi music by N. Gulov, accompanied by Dotar and Gidjak, and the first two tracks on side 2 are also Bakhshi music by N. Gulov and B. Berdyyev, again accompanied by Dotar and Gidjak. Here we have again two extracts from Dastans in tracks 1 and 7. Tracks 8 to 11 are folk songs performed a cappella.

According to https://records.su/album/18738 the details are:

Side 1:

N. Gulov (1—5):

1. Diygey sen (muz. nar. — sl. iz eposa «Ger-ogly»)

2. Soz bilyani (muz. nar. — Bayli shakhir)

3. Byari gel, byari

4. Yandyrdyn, Bibi (muz. nar. — Changli shakhir)

5. Aya dondi (muz. nar. — Makhtumkuli)

Side 2:

N. Gulov & B. Berdyyev (6, 7):

6. Yarymdan, Bibi (muz. nar. — D. Balkizil)

7. Sonam geldimi (muz. nar. — sl. iz dastana «Nedzhep-oglan»)

O. Durdyyeva (8—10):

8. Lyale

9. Khuvdi

10. Khovlim

A. Kurbanov, G. Melyayev (11):

11. Kushtdendi (nar. pesni). 

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Many thanks to Werner for his generous sharing.

In the future we will post more Turkmen LPs, inshaAllah.

Napevy Dutara - Dotar Tunes - Turkmen folk melodies - LP released in 1984 in Soviet Turkmenistan

Here another beautiful LP from Soviet Turkmenistan, contributed by our friend Werner Durand. This one is a purely instrumental one by three great Dotar players. It was recorded in 1981 and released in 1984.

Side 1:

Aymamed Ashirov (Dotar):

1. Saryya

2. Mukam razluki

Ammanazar Atayev (Dotar):

3. Prosnis'

4. Reka Tu-ni

5. Naydeno v solonchake

Side 2:

Khan Akyyev (Dotar):

1. Toska

2. Nevestki

3. Dovletler

4. Gyzyl boryk

5. Pridi

6. Shalar belmiyer

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Jan Jan - Bakhshi Music from Turkmenistan - LP released in Soviet Turkmenistan in 1989

Here we start to post a series of three rare LPs of the music of the Bakhshis (bards) of Turkmenistan. Our friend Werner Durand contibuted these to our blog. Many thanks to him for his very generous sharing. In the future we will post more.

For more details on the music you can download the booklets to two CDs of Turkmen Bakhshis: Chants des femmes Bakhshi and Turkmen Epic Singing

In the past we had posted two cassettes with recordings from the Iranian part of Turkmenistan and a Japanese LP which had three recordings from Soviet Turkmenistan: see here.

Side 1:

Nuryagdı Bayramov - Vocal, Çarı Alladurdıev - Gidjak, Tagan Taganov - Dutar

1. Moy Oraz (muzıka nar.- Kemine)

2. Ne nujdayus v tebe (muzıka nar.- Zelili)

3. Agların (iz dastana «Zohre i Tahir»)

4. Jan - jan (iz dastana «Şasenem i Garib»)

5. Terekme (iz dastana «Zohre i Tahir») 

Side 2:

Annaseid Annamuradov - Dutar 

1. Taşgoldı

2. Uzor

3. Arzıman

4. Nar agajı

5. Gaşlı yar

6. Gorı (nar. melodii). 

One sees here, that on Side 1 in tracks 3 to 5 extracts from Dastans (Epics) are performed, namely the ones named "Zohre and Tahir" and "Şasenem and Gari". Dastan singing is the main art of the Bakhshis, but very often they sing also just songs or perform solo instrumental pieces on the Dotar as here on side 2. 

A Bakhshi is always accompanied by the Dotar, which he most times plays himself, and sometimes the ensemble is completed by a Gidjak, as here on side 1. It is the same instrument as the Iranian and Azerbaijani Kemencheh. The Bakhshis are often amazing virtuoso on the Dotar, a two-string long-necked lute, as here on side 2.

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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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