Azerbaijan - Baku

 

Picture credit: By Sefer azeri - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122625891

We arrive in Azerbaijan's capital and commercial hub Baku on the shores of the Caspian Sea.  Here the traditional music styles of the country often get blended with other influences.  

First we meet Folk fusion band Rast, who combine their traditional Mugham with Jazz, pop and sometimes rock. They were established in 1992 with lead singer Sevdah Alekperzadeh.  The name Rast refers to a musical modal system in Mugham music.  Here is a cut from a concert for their 20th anniversary.  For more check out their 2014 album Rast Dünyası.

Jazz pianist, singer and composer Aziza Mustafa Zadeh was born in Baku in 1969.  She came from a musical family, her father also being a pianist and her mother a singer.  They discovered her musical talent when she was only 8 years old.  Her style is more pure jazz with only some hints of Mugham, which mostly shows when she is singing.  She is now based in Germany.  Here is the instrumental title track to her 2016 album Dance of Fire:

More traditional is singer Sevda Alekbarzadeh, who was born in Baku in 1977.  She is classically trained including in opera and jazz.  She incorporates some of the latter into her Mugham compositions.   She is known for her powerful voice.  Here is the opening track from her 2012 album Worlds of Love called Ele deme (Don't talk that way):

The career of singer Azerin began at the tender age of 5, when she became a soloist of the Azerbaijan State Television and Radio.  She was born in Baku in 1971.  She combines tradtitional mugham with elements of pop and Jazz.  Here is a song from her 2015 album Yüreklerde Biriz called Küçelere Su Serpmişem:

Finally another female singer called Aygün Kazımova, born 1971 in Baku, who veers more towards Azerbaijani flavoured pop with some Latin thrown in as well as, like in the video below, a sprinkling of Riverdance.  She is one of the bestselling artists in the country, hence her inclusion here.  Here is a song called Я и Ты from her bestselling 200 album Aygün:

That's it from Baku for the moment, we'll explore the rest of the country next.  Meanwhile you can follow my virtual tour on my Tripline map.

Azerbaijan - The North

Next we are heading into Azerbaijan.  They gained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991 and have become rich due to large oil reserves.  It recently tried to greenwash its image by hosting the COP climate conference.  Culturally it has a rich history, particular its music, which is related to the music of neighbouring Iran.  There are 3 main styles of music prevalent: 1) Meykhana, which is sometimes referred to as Azeri Rap or Wedding Rap, 2) the Ashiq tradition of travelling bards singing semi-improvised ballads accompanied by the saz, or simply solo instrumentals on the saz, which he have already become acquainted with in our last post in Georgia, and finally and most importantly 3) Mugham, combining classical poetry with musical improvisations often accompanied on the tar, another middle eastern lute.  

Crossing from Georgia into the northwest of the country, our first stop is in the Kazakh District (Qazax rayonu), where Ashiq bard Edalat Nazibov was born in 1939.  He died in 2017 and I don't know much else about him.  Here is a song from his 2003 album Azerbaidjan - The Art of Saz called Gerayli:

Next we are heading into the Shamakhi district and the village of Nabur.  This is where one of the most famous Mugham singers Alim Qasimov was born in 1957. Growing up on a Soviet farm cooperative he had the calling to become a musician early on and his parents supported him through his studies.  He is now compared to the famous Qawali singer Nusrat Ali Khan, has collaborated with the likes of Jeff Buckley and Yoyo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble.  Icelandic singer Bjork lists him as her favourite singer.  Alim's daughter Farghana Qasimova (born in 1979) is also an accomplished Mugham singer and has accompanied her father on tour since she was 16 years old and recorded some music together with him. Here they are singing as a duo at the Osnabruck Morgenland Festival. More of their music can be heard on their joint 2007 album Music of Central Asia Vol. 6 - Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan.

Next we're heading for to the city of Sumgait near the Caspian Sea, which is where folk musician Alihan Samidov was born in 1964. He specialises is wind instruments, specifically the balaban, oboe, clarinet, zurna and saxophone.  Here is the opening track from his 2021 album Batman konseri-2 called Sen Gelmez oldrun:

We'll leave it at that for today, next stop is the capital Baku.  Meanwhile you follow my virtual journey on my Tripline Map.

Georgia - The East

 The largest ethnic minority in Georgia are the Azeris, who make up 6% of the population and are largely concentrated around the Kvemo Kartli region around the city of Rustavi just south of Tbilisi.  Their language and musical traditions are closer to those of Turkey and Iran with the saz (a long-necked lute) a popular instrument played by Aşiq bards travelling the region.  Nargilə Mehtiyeva aka Aşiq Nargilə is the only female bard plying her trade there, although she was born in Tbilisi. Some of her music has been published as an album called Yurt Yeri in 2023  from a rare live performance in the UK.  Here is a live performance of hers on Georgian TV:

The Polyphonic choir Ensemble Rustavi has been going since 1968, playing more traditional Georgian folk.  Here is a song called Ni Gikvars Qalav, which features on their 2016 self-titled album:

Singer and poet Teona Qusiashvili was born in 1984 in Sioni in the Pshav-Khevsureti region of Eastern Georgia. She specialised in the folk songs of her region. Sadly she was killed alongside her 2 sons and sister, plus 3 others in a tragic car accident in 2010 aged only 26, as their car plunged into an icy river on the mountainous roads of her home region.  Her poet husband Gela Daiauri survived the accident.  Here is a song of hers:

The ensemble Zedashe was formed in the mid-1990's in the town of Sighnaghi in the Caucasus Mountains and is one of the few mixed male and female polyphonic choirs in Georgia.  They have produced a lot of material including polyphonic chants, folk songs as well as instrumental dance tunes.  Here is a song from their 2020 album Enduring Fortress called Tamar Kalo sung at the Khornabudji Fortress:

Finally we are heading to the village of Anaga, where 'the voice of Georgia' Hamlet Gonashvili was born in 1928. He also died prematurely in 1985 falling from an apple tree. Way to go!  He was considered one of the best interpreters of songs from the Kartli and Kakheti regions. Here is a song from his 1995 posthumous album Hamlet called Tsintskaro:

That's it from Georgia, next stop is Azerbaijan. As usual, you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline Map.

Georgia - Tbilisi Part II

 Continuing our exploration of the music of Tbilisi, we are including some more contemporary sounds.  Jazz fusion band The Shin was actually founded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1998, but by Georgian exiles.  They combine jazz with funk, flamenco and a distinct Georgian flavour with some polyphonic singing. Their name actually translates as home or going home rather than having anything to do with the lower part of the leg.  Here is a live version of a track from their 2006 album EgAri called Chips on the Water:

Singer/songwriter and producer Tamada combines Georgian folk with electronic dance music in a rather unusual blend.  His real name is Lasha Chapel, but his pseudonym apparently is the name for a Georgian table host or toast master. He is originally from Tbilisi, but is based in Berlin these days. Here is a song from his 2024 album 9 Deadly Sins For Tamada called Jinit. 

Georgian American singer and guitarist Ilusha Tsinadze was born in Georgia, but emigrated to the USA when he was 8 years old.  Now based in Brooklyn, he combines Georgian folk with American folk idioms, singing in Georgian and accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar and occasionally banjo.  Here is the opening track to his 2019 album Yes & No called Shenma Survilma Damlia:

Folk rock group Mgzavebri we founded in Tbilisi in 2006 by actor Gigi Dedalamazishvili, combining Georgian folk infused with contemporary rock.  After a number of line-up changes the current band consists of 7 members.  Although singing mostly in Georgian, but also in Russian and Ukrainian, they were particularly popular in Russia, but since Russia's invasion of Ukraine they have cancelled all concerts there.   The name of the band means Travellers.  Here's a song from their 2023 album Kamara called Waltz, which they used to accompany a short film on the loss of a loved one:

That's it from Tbilisi for today, next we are going to listen to the music of southern Georgia.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map. 

Georgia - Svanetia and Tbilisi Part I

 Georgia is a small country in Eastern Europe with a long history.  It is known as the cradle of wine-making, which automatically makes it a bucket list country for me, but so far I haven't made it there yet.  There are fewer than 4 million people living here.  Its musical traditions are ancient and are known for the early development of polyphony, which has been declared an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. 

From our last stop in Turkey, we carry on along the Black Sea shore, before entering Georgia and taking a right turn into the mountains to the region of Svanetia and its capital Mestia.  in this remote region, cut off by snow for much of the year, the Riho Ensemble of Mestia strut their stuff.  As far as I know, they haven't recorded any albums that are available internationally, but there is a 2003 DVD called Riho de Mestia - The Polyphonies of Svanetia, which is still available.  Here is a song and dance performance by them called Shishada gergili:

Just outside Mestia is the small village of Lakhushdi, which calls itself the singing village due to the fact that 11 out of the 17 families sing traditional polyphonies.  So in 2020 3 of the younger inhabitants got together to record an album, namely Ana & Madona Chamgeliani and Levan Bitarovi.  They appropriately called the album from The Singing Village (Lakhushdi) and here is an extended extract from it and other singing whilst showing of some village life in the Svanetian mountains. Incidentally, there seems to be an eco-lodge in the village if you ever feel inclined to get the authentic experience in person.

Some years ago a video went viral of 3 young girls singing in polyphonics accompanied by a pandura (a 3-stringed lute) while walking through a Georgian village scene filming themselves with a selfie-stick.  These girls were the Trio Mandili, who have now become internationally famous, regularly touring around the world and even representing Georgia at the Eurovision Song Contest.  The 3 members are actually from different parts of Georgia, but are now based in the capital Tbilisi. Their enthusiasm is infectious and their harmonies impeccable.  Here is the video that launched their career called Apareka, which is also the opening track to their 2015 debut album With Love:

And here is another cute wee video of them featuring a wee donkey:

Composer, singer and pianist Russudan Meipariani was born in Tbilisi in 1975.  Classically trained she combines classical music with minimal music and Georgian polyphonic singing. She is now based in Germany.  In 2024 she collaborated with Tbilisi based male choir Ensemble Anchiskhati to produce an album called Voices & Mountains and this is a track from the album called Aragvi:

In the year 2000 another all-male choir was founded in Tbilisi called the Basiani Ensemble.  They have since been elevated to State Ensemble and perform all over Georgia and internationally bringing traditional Georgian polyphonics to the world.  Here is a live performance of a traditional table song called Chakrulo from their snappily titled 2019 Year Album - Booklet, which unsurprisingly came out in 2019. Spoiler alert: you don't get a booklet if you purchase the album...

All female ensemble Ialoni were established in Tbilisi in 2016.  Their repertoire includes ecclesiastical, folk and city music from Georgia.  Here is a potpourri of city songs from their 2016 album From Sunrise to Sunset:

Finally, another male polyphonic choir, IBERI was founded in 2012 in Tbilisi. The title of their 2022 album Supra translates as feast, which is an activity the Georgians seem to be very fond of.  Apparently, if you buy the CD version it comes with a Georgian cookbook! Here is an orchestral version of a song from the album called Harira (The Person):

That's it for today, next we'll be exploring the more contemporary sounds of Tbilisi, as well as music from the rest of the country.  Meanwhile, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.

Türkiye - Eastern Anatolia & the Black Sea Coast

 Heading east out of Ankara we head to the town of Şarkışla, where on of Turkey's most famous folk poets Âşık Veysel was born in 1894.  He lived there all his life and died in 1973.  Also born in this town was in 1945 was singer and actress Emel Sayın, although she subsequently moved around the country quite a bit.  She sings classical Turkish music, later also incorporating film music and acting in her career. Here's a song called Yağdır Mevlam Su, which features on her 2007 album Sizlerle (Sevgisiz Yaşayamam): 

Moving north to the coastal city of Samsun on the Black Sea coast, where we meet baglama virtuoso, composer and singer Orcan Gencebay who was born in 1944.  He is of Crimean Tartar descent and was named State Artist of Turkey in 1998.  He combines Arabesque music with more contemporary elements, including pop, folk and rock.  Here is the title track from his 2024 album Hatasiz Kul Olmaz with some helpful German subtitles:

We haven't had any Anatolian rock for a while, so next we are heading to the Black Sea city of Trabzon, where 1970's Anatolian rock band 3 Hür-El hail from.  Founded in 1970 by the three 3 Hürel brothers with Feridun on a double-necked electric guitar and saz.  They became one of the most popular Psychedelic rock bands in Turkey at the time.  In 1977 they disbanded as 2 of the brothers were called into military service and at the same time losing their mother to a tragic road accident.  They briefly reformed in the late 1990's and recorded about 4 albums during their 2 stints.  Some of their material is now being re-released by German label Turkish vinyl, such as their self-titled 1972 album.  Here is a live performance of their song Sevenler Ağlarmış during their peak in 1974.

As we carry on following the coastal road eastwards we come to the town of Çayeli, where folk singer Ayşenur Kolivar was born in 1976.  She has been part of the Istanbul ensemble Kardeş Türküler and other bands, but also has a successful solo career.  She specialises on the folk traditions of the eastern Black Sea region.  Here is a song from her 2011 album Bahceye Hanimeli called Getma:

The traditional music of Turkey's Black Sea region is different from the rest of the country and shares more resemblances with some Bulgarian mountain music, including the use of the bagpipe or tulum as the local version is known as.  So we take a short hop and a skip to the village of Kestanelik, where tulum player Emin Yağci was born in 1965.  Sadly he died of cancer last year.  He is recognised as one of the masters of the instrument and here is a track from his 2011 album Tulum (A Sound from the Black Sea) called Ey Gidi Karlı Dağlar:

That's it from Turkey for the moment, next we are going on a 3 country excursion of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia before returning to finish of the south-eastern part of Turkey. In the meantime you can follow my virtual musical road trip on my tripline map. 

Türkiye - Ankara

 

Amkara Castle.  Photo credit: By Bernard Gagnon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37705866

We arrive in Ankara, the capital city of Türkiye in the geographical centre of the country.  It is only the second largest city after Istanbul with 5.1 million inhabitants.

This is where musician and composer Erkan Oğur was born in 1954.  He is a pioneer of the fretless classical guitar, which he invented in 1976 to obtain more detailed notes for traditional Turkish music.  He is also a master on other string instruments such as the baglama and oud.  He has collaborated widely with musicians in Turkey and even blues musicians in the USA and is still active to this day.  Here is a song he plays with Derya Türka called Zahit Bizi Tan Eyleme, which he recorded with İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu on their 2000 album Anadolu Beşik:

Oud player and teacher Gülçin Yahya Kaçar was born in Ankara in 1966 to a family originating in Greece, which was part of the great population exchange.  Her family discovered her musical talent early on and she went on to study music and the oud at university, specialising in Classical Turkish music.  She is mainly teaching the instrument these days and has written books on it, rather than being a major recording artist.  But here is her latest single called Gülizâr Sirto:

I don't know where or when singer and pianist Süeda Çatakoğlu was born, but she now resides in Boston, where she is developing her skills in jazz composition, jazz piano and contemporary writing and production at Berklee College of Music.  She combines the jazz elements with Turkish folk as on her 2022 album Süeda Sings Sezen, where she interprets some songs from the legendary Sezen Aksu, which I mentioned in my last post. She is accompanied by a host of international guests on the album and here is a song from the album called El Gibi:

 Finally we are making a song and dance for folk music group the Radio Ankara Music Ensemble.  Don't know much about them, except what it says on the tin, and that they are performing traditional folk music from various regions of the country.  Here is a song from their 1996 album Songs and Dances of Turkey called Folk Song from Adiyaman:

That's it from Ankara, next we are heading to the northeast of the country and the Black Sea coast.  Until then you can check out my virtual travels on my Tripline map.