Music of Central Asia
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, is producing a 10-CD set documenting the musics of Central Asia.
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings released the first three volumes of its new Music of Central Asia series on March 14, 2006. This ground-breaking, newly recorded series presents authentic musical traditions of Central Asia as they are performed today, featuring some of the region's most outstanding artists. From the nomadic and bardic cultures of the steppes to the classical court traditions of the cities, this series celebrates musicians who display a mastery of older traditions and also embody a contemporary spirit of innovation. Produced in conjunction with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, each release includes an extensive color booklet and comes with a vivid bonus DVD containing a series introduction, 24-minute film, interactive glossary and map.
Music of Central Asia Vol. 1: Tengir-Too: Mountain Music from Kyrgyzstan
SFW CD 40520 (2006)
From the mountainous Kyrgyzstan, Jew's harps, fiddles, plucked stringed instruments, and powerful voices transmit the vibrant rhythms of nomadism and the serene atmosphere of the Kygyz mountains in a musical language as contemporary as it is ancient. This deluxe package launches Music of Central Asia, a multi-volume series that brings to life the diverse and remarkable musical culture of a region long inaccessible to outsiders. 18 tracks, 66 minutes, 48-page color booklet, photos, and bilingual lyrics; DVD contains series introduction, 24-minute film, interactive glossary, and map.
Music of Central Asia Vol. 2: Invisible Face of the Beloved: Classical Music of the Tajiks and Uzbeks
Academy of Maqam
SFW CD 40521 (2006)
Amid the mosques and minarets of Samarkand and Bukhara, generations of vocalists set the mystical, Sufi-inspired verse of Hafiz and other classical poets to lyrical melodies, creating a spiritual art music of great refinement and sublime beauty called Shashmaqâm, confirming its important place among the great art music traditions of Euasia. 18 tracks, 70 minutes, 44-page booklet, photos, and bilingual lyrics; DVD contains series introduction, 24-minute film, interactive glossary, and map.
Music of Central Asia Vol. 3: Homayun Sakhi: The Art of the Afghan Rubab
Homayun Saki
SFW CD 40522 (2006)
From Kabul to California, Homayun Sakhi is admired as the outstanding Afghan rubâb player of his generation, a charismatic virtuoso who has pushed the limits of his instrument. With tabla player Taryalai Hashimi, Sakhi plays music that is uniquely Afghan, yet resonates strongly with the spirit of Indian raga. 3 tracks, 70 minutes, 32-page booklet with photos; DVD contains series introduction, 24-minute film, interactive glossary, and map.
Music of Central Asia vol. 4: Bardic Divas: Women's Voices in Central Asia
SFW CD 40523 (2007)
Sublime bel canto lyrical songs, the guttural recitative of nomadic oral poetry, lively humoresques, and poignant laments of unrequited love comprise this panoramic survey of contemporary women's music from Central Asia performed by some of the region's leading singers. 18 Tracks, 59 minutes, 48-page color booklet, photos, and song lyrics; DVD contains series introduction, 24-minute film, interactive glossary, and map.
Music of Central Asia vol. 5: The Badakhshan Ensemble: Song and Dance from the Pamir Mountains
The Badakhshan Ensemble
SFW CD 40524 (2007)
In the majestic Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, poetically called the "Roof of the World", trance-like rhythms and piercing melodies propel these vivid performances of Badakhshani folk songs, dance music, and mystical religious poetry that can embody the spiritual power known as baraka, 10 Tracks, 64 minutes, 44-page color booklet, photos, and song lyrics; DVD contains series introduction, 24-minute film, interactive glossary, and map.
Music of Central Asia vol. 6: Alim and Fargana Qasimov: Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan
Alim and Fargana Qasimov
SFW CD 40525 (2007)
To be a musician, there has to be a fire burning in you," declares Alim Qasimov, Azerbaijan's most beloved traditional singer. In these deeply spiritual recordings of Azeri classical mugham and lyrical bardic songs, Alim merges his own consummate musicianship with that of his talented daughter Fargana, and with the energetic accompaniment of a young ensemble performing on tar, kamancha, balaban, oud, and drums. A bonus DVD offers an intimate portrait of the Qasimovs and their musical lives in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital city. 11 tracks, 70 minutes, 40-page color booklet, photos, musical instrument glossary.
You may also be interested in the following Smithsonian Folkways recordings from Central Asia:
The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan
SFW CD 40438 (2002)
What if Marco Polo had owned a tape recorder? And what if his epic travels across the heart of Asia had taken place not at the end of the 13th century, but at the beginning of the 21st? The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan presents a panoramic sweep of the vast and rich musical territory that an adventurous traveler like Polo might uncover in this vitally important region today. Produced in collaboration with The Silk Road Project, an international cultural initiative founded by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, this 2- CD set presents traditional music from Afghanistan, China, Iran, Kazakhastan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and other Central Eurasian nations and peoples. Most of these tracks were recorded on location and have never before been commercially available. 2 CDs, full color booklet, extensive notes including an introduction written by Silk Road Project Artistic Director Yo-Yo Ma.
Ustad Mohammad Omar: Virtuoso From Afghanistan
SFW CD 40439 (2002)
Ustad Mohammad Omar, Afghanistan's finest rabab player, became the first Afghan musician to teach in the United States when he arrived at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1974. This CD documents his only public performance in America and is the first full length album of his to be released in the United States. Playing his rabab, a short-necked lute that is plucked with a plectrum called a shahbaz, and accompanied on the tabla by a young Zakir Hussain, Mohammad Omar shared Afghan traditional music with the West in this memorable and important concert. Hussain and Omar had never met before that day, nor did they speak a common language, but their musical voices intertwine magically on this classic recording, available here commercially for the first time. The music is steeped in the traditions of Afghanistan and that country's own relationship to Indian and Pakistani musical influences, but this virtuoso performance stands alone as a triumph of Eastern music.
Tuva: Among the Spirits: Sounds, Music, and Nature in Sakha and Tuva
SFW CD 40452 (1999)
Tuva, Among the Spirits is a sonic journey to the steppes of southern Siberia, the wellspring of Tuvan and Sakhan music, where the spiritual power of nature is manifested through its sounds. In these unprecedented on-site recordings, master musicians imitate and interact with the natural acoustic environment. Recorded in 1995-1998 on horseback, in creek beds, caves, canyons, and grasslands.
Tuva: Voices from the Center of Asia
