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I have spent many evenings mesmerized by truly incredible performances during my years as a musician and music lover. But rarely have I been as moved and transfixed as an evening I spent at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago two and a half years ago, when I was privileged so see one of Alim Qasimov's first performances in the US. He is a mesmerizing performer...totally committed to his performances and to the Mugham style of singing, of which he is the foremost proponent. His dramatic gestures resemble nothing so much as the gestures of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan...and when the music begins to really move, he seems almost to levitate. Unfortunately, the first few Qasimov CDs I bought after that concert only hinted at the power for this singer in a live setting. However, the current CD, Love's Deep Ocean comes closer than anything I have yet heard to capturing the unique power of this treasured singer.
Qasimov is the greatest representative of the Azerbaijani classical music called Mugham. Mugham, like much other Middle Eastern influenced music, is based on a repertoire of songs passed down throughout the centuries upon which a singer improvises using traditional scales and melodic patterns. The art is a difficult one to master. The lyrics of Mugham songs are often either passionate love songs or spiritual songs influenced by the Sufis...and like the Sufis it is often difficult to separate the secular from the sacred in this music. Qasimov wrings every ounce of emotion from each phrase. At times the voice is so clear and piercing that it sends chills up and down the spine. Other times he is gentle and consoling. I find it impossible not to be deeply moved by this marvelous music, especially the long track Ey Encanlar, which seems to grow in intensity with each new phrase.
Qasimov is backed up on this disc by the traditional ensemble of tar (a long necked lute) and kemenche (a spike fiddle). In addition the singer plays a frame drum. The ensemble is expanded on this CD by the inclusion of other instruments not traditionally associated with pure Mugham including the duduk and a version of the clarinet. Qasimov's daughter also sings on many of the tracks. While her voice doesn't not have the power of her father's it is nonetheless very effective. And in the climaxes of the songs, when the two singers reach a unison, the effect is devastating.
If you have any interest in music of the world, this CD is an absolute must-have! Qasimov is the only world music singer to take up the fallen mantle of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. And if you ever get the chance to hear him live....run!!! You'll be glad you did.
I can confidently claim that this is one of the best albums of Azerbaijani classical mugham and Qasimov's music.
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