By JON PARELES – Published: March 15, 2010
The words Alim Qasimov sang on Friday night at Asia Society were nearly five centuries old, written by a poet from Baghdad, Muhammad Fuzuli, who proclaimed, “Let my miserable heart burn in the fire of love.” The poetry’s longing, pain and spiritual seeking became raw and immediate, arriving in bursts of improvisation that made every phrase leap out.
Mr. Qasimov is simply one of the greatest singers alive, with a searing spontaneity that conjures passion and devotion, contemplation and incantation. He now performs with his daughter and student, Fargana Qasimov. They sing mugham, the classical music of Azerbaijan, which is related to Persian, Turkish and Arabic traditions, and they have an American release, “Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan” (Smithsonian Folkways).
More: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/arts/music/16alim.html
Smithsonian Folkways website now offers:
– a free stream of the three new volumes of the “Music of Central Asia” series through April 6th.
– a 20 procent discount on the retail price of all “Music of Central Asia” CD/DVDs or digital downloads is given through April 6th with code CENTRALASIA789.
– An excerpt of each DVD.
Ismailimail 