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

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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.


Arifkhan Khatamov, Khakimdzhan Faiziyev & Akhrarkhon Khatamov ‎– Classical Songs of the Uzbek People - LP published in Soviet Uzbekistan in 1972

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Here an LP by the great Arifkhan Khatamov (Orifxon Xatamov), the most important representative of the Maqom tradition of the Ferghana Valley of his generation. Unfortunately the LP came with a generic cover. We had posted in 2017, 2015 and 2012 already two MP3 CDs and some tracks found in the internet by the artist. The musicians here are: Arifkhan Khatamov (Vocal & Tanbur), Khakimdzhan Faiziyev (Vocal & Dotar) and Akhrarkhon Khatamov (Vocal).

Side 1: 
Mustaxzod (muz. nar.— Xuvajdo
Ulandan sur (muz. nar,— Amiri)
Karimkulʙegi, Kaşkarcai uşşok Sodirxon (muz. nar.— A. Navoi)

Side 2: 
Va'da ajlaʙ ( muz. nar.— Munis)
Guluzorim mening (A. Xatamov — A. Navoi)
Suvora (muz. nar.— A. Navoi)

Track details from http://records.su/album/40339

The words behind the titles mean first: music traditional (only on side 2 in track 2 the name of the composer is given: our singer A. Xatamov) and the second name is the name of the poet.







Makoms - From Uzbek People‘s Musical Legacy - Double LP released in Soviet Uzbekistan in 1984

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Here a very interesting anthology of Makom traditions of Uzbekistan with older, partly very rare recordings from the years 1955 to 1984. The first LP is devoted to Shashmaqam. Side 3 has samples of the Makom tradition of Khorezm (finally) and side 4 has the one of the Ferghana Valley. A few of these recordings were already part of some of our older posts, namely the ones by the Shashmakom ensemble directed by Yunus Rajabi and the piece by Mamurjan Uzakov.
There are spoken comments in Uzbek introducing every track. We have posted two versions: one with the comments and another one without them.

Here the details from https://records.su/album/22599 (with some corrections):

Makoms - From Uzbek People‘s Musical Legacy
Comments of F. Karamatov (in Uzbek) are read by M. Rakhimov

First disc - Side 1:
1. Bebochcha (Fuzuli) - Hadji Abdulaziz Rasulov
2. Tasnifi Buzruk
3. Garduii Buzruk
4. Mukhammasi Navo - 2., 3. & 4. Student ensemble of Makomistov of Tashkent State University Conservatory dir. by Abdurahim Hamidov
5. Sarakhbori Navo - Ensemble of the makomistov of the Uzbek Television and Radio dir. by Yunus Rajabi

Side 2:
1. Talqini Bayot, Tarona, Nasri Bayot (Sakkoki, Navoi, Babur) - Ensemble of the makomistov of the Uzbek Television and Radio dir. by Yunus Rajabi
2. Mugilchai Dugoh (Fuguri) - Domla Halim Ibadov (singing, doira), Shonazar Sahibov (tanbur)
3. Iroqi Bukhoro (Babur) - Ensemble of the makomistov of the Uzbek Television and Radio dir. by Yunus Rajabi

Second disc - Side 3:
1. Tani Makom (Ogakhi) - Kamiljan Ataniyazov (Komiljon Otaniyozov) (singing, tar), Abdusharif Atajanov (doira)
2. Talqin - Amiri-Hadjikhan Baltaev (Xozhixon Boltayev) (singing, dutar), Abdusharif Atajanov (doira)
3. Kazhang Suvor va tezgasi (Ogakhi) - Madrahim Matyakubov (singing, dutar)

Side 4:
4. Dugoh Husaini (Navoi) - Sharahim Shaumarov (singing, dutar)
5. Shakhnozi gulor (Mukimi) - Halima Nasyrova and Fatima Borukhova (singing), Turgun Alimatov (tanbur), Zakirjan Abidov (dutar)
6. Bayot III (Mukimi) - Mamurjan Uzakov, Ensemble of People's Instruments
7. Ushshoq (Navoi) - Yunus Rajabi, Ensemble of People's Instruments







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

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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.



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

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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.





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

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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





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

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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). 





Many thanks to Werner for his generous sharing.
In the future we will post more Turkmen LPs, inshaAllah.

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

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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:




Volume 2:




Volume 3:




Volume 4:




Volume 5:




Volume 6:



flac
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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.


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

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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.


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.


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).

flac
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Vol. 4: Davlatmand Kholov - Tajikistan (1)




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.


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.

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

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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.




Afghanistan - A Musical Anthology of the Orient 3 - Unesco Collection - LP released in Germany in the early 1960s

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Here we post an early LP devoted to the music of Afghanistan. This is perhaps the most beautiful anthology of Afghan music ever published, because of its musical quality and the variety it offers.
It was one of the few LPs which were republished on CD by Rounder Records in 2003, in a project to republish the complete Unesco Series, published originally by Bärenreiter in Germany as LPs. Unfortunately, this project was abandoned already after a few CD releases, probably because it did not pay off financially. This CD is no longer available for many years.
One should not take the comments of Alain Daniélou too seriously: they seem a bit too farfetched at times.
We scanned here only the English part of the comments.
This is the first of a series of about ten posts on Afghani music, insha'Allah. At the end of this series we will provide, with some posts by Ustad Sarahang, a bridge to the Raga music of Pakistan and India.












flac
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In the numbering of the tracks there is mistake: track 11 in the download is track 12 of the LP and track 12 is track 11. Sorry.

Folk Music of Afghanistan - Vol. 1 - LP released in the US in 1971

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This LP is a contribution by our friend Werner Durand. Many thanks to him. It contains fieldrecordings of authentic folk music (Mahali) of different regions of Afghanistan. It leaves out the urban music of Kabul.




Folk Music of Afghanistan - Vol. 2 - LP released in the US in the early 1970s

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Here Vol. 2, also a contribution by our friend Werner Durand. Many thanks to him. It contains more fieldrecordings of authentic folk music (Mahali) of different regions of Afghanistan. It leaves out the urban music of Kabul.









Afghanistan - Music from Kabul - LP released in the US in 1973

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Here another Afghanistan LP contributed by our friend Werner Durand: this time music from Kabul with some very beautiful instrumental pieces and some with vocals. Many thanks to Werner.




Ismail and Hamidullah - Folk Music from Afghanistan - From an Afghani Cassette

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Cover of the original cassette.

Here another very beautiful cassette from pre-Taliban times by the great Hamidullah Charikari together with his older brother Ismail. I'm not sure if they are really brothers or just come both from Chakri near Kabul. We posted in 2011 already two cassettes by Hamidullah, together with the great Bilton.

I still don't know if it is proper to name this music Logari Music. In 2013 we posted a cassette by Ustad Doray Logari, who is said to have brought Logari music to Kabul and was recorded a lot by the radio back then. This is the way, one says, how Logari music became popular over all of Afghanistan. He was called the father of Logari music. It is also said that Ustad Doray Logari was the main teacher of Bilton, the most famous singer of this tradition, though there exists also the information that his teacher was Salam Logari, the son of Ustad Doray Logari. But as they are both more or less of the same age, or Bilton is even older than Salam Logari, as I think, I doubt this. Bilton was raised and spend most of his life in the Logar Valley. The music of the two singers here is definitely of the same tradtion, though these two musicians are not from Logar. It could be that the music which Ustad Doray brought to Kabul had such an effect that a new, quite sophisticated Afghan folk music evolved out of it. There are many other singers widely known in Afghanistan who sing and play a similar music, like Zaman Shawqi, Haji Saifuddin (whose music is clearly named "Logari music") and younger ones like Faiz Karizi (born 1953). If anybody can help to clarify this subject, it would be very appreciated. What I found in the literature - I must confess that I have only very few books on Afghan music - doesn't really answer my questions. As so often, what is described in the books and what one can hear in recordings doesn't fit always together. 
Anyway, this is a very fine and very fascinating folk music tradition performed by excellent professional musicians and it was and still seems to be today very popular in Afghanistan and the Afghan community in the West. Though in Afghanistan and in the West traditional Afghan music seems to be completly neglected nowadays as far as available recordings are concerned. When I started to look for Afghan recordings (CDs and cassettes) in the Afghan shops in Germany, especially in Hamburg, there were still a lot of recordings of traditional music available. That was in the 1980s and early and mid 1990s. But already about 10 years later this music had vanished completely from the shelfs of the shops.

In the West never a CD was published by a Western label by any of these singers and musicians. I think this is one of the big missed chances. Now it is too late for well-known reasons. In a recording done in the West one could have insisted on leaving out the Harmonium, about which the Afghan music specialist John Baily already complained several times. Then one would have had a beautiful recording of good singing with an ensemble of Rabab, Tambur, Sarinda and Dhol. The interaction between the musicians is always fascinating.

Our friend KF made years ago a CD out of this cassette and created the covers. Many thanks to him.


Hamidullah Charikari - Afghan Music - Cassette from Afghanistan

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Cover of the original cassette.

Here another beautiful cassette by Hamidullah Charikari. This is the fourth one we post. Our friend KF made years ago a CD with nice covers out of the cassette. Many thanks to him.
At the beginning and at the end of the cassette the music is for about one or two minutes slightly distorted.



Haj Saifuddin - Logari Music - Cassette from Afghanistan

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Here a beautiful cassette by a singer who was very popular in Afghanistan.

These singers used to always accompany themselves on the Tambur, a long-necked lute. Unfortunately now most play the Harmonium. 




Zaman Shawqi - Cassette from Afghanistan

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Here another beautiful cassette of folk music from Afghanistan. 
In 2011 we had already posted another cassette by the artist.


Essa Kassimi - Le Luth Afghan - LP released in France in 1979

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Now we start a small series of Rubab recordings. First a French LP which was widely present in the record shops back then. The artist lives in Cologne, Germany.





Essa Kassemi - Singing and Rubab Playing from Afghanistan - A WDR radio program broadcast on 31st of August 1983

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Here we post a radio program on music from Afghanistan broadcast by WDR (Western German Radio) in Cologne on 31st of August 1983s. I received this recently from my friend KF. He made notes on the pieces performed. See below two pages from his notebook.
Essa Kassemi (Isa Khasemi) was and is quite well known through his French LP which was widely present in the record shops back then and which we posted a couple of days ago. He lives in Cologne since several decades. On the back cover of his LP this information is given: 
"Ustad Essa Kassimi, classical singer and master of the short-necked lute or Robab, born in Kabul in 1932, comes from a famous family of traditional musicians. On the maternal side, his grandfather Ustad Mohammad Kassem (Ustad Qasim (1882-1955)), formerly among the most important musicians of the Royal Court, is considered today as the founder of the classical Afghan musical art. It is he who teaches Essa Kassimi the techniques of singing, Tabla, Robab. From his father, Aga Mohammad, famous classical singer, Essa Kassimi learns the mastery of the instruments Dilruba, Sarangi, Harmonium and Robab." 
Otherwise not much is known about him. I remember that I saw in the 1970s a small poster announcing a concert by him in Düsseldorf. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the concert, which I still regret. 




Many thanks to KF for sharing so generously.

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