From the Front Line of the Culture Wars: Tajikistan Music

Tajik women, Shaartuz

The second instalment of tremendous tunes from Tajikistan. These are in a more ‘traditional’ folk mode but with several interesting pop songs included as well.

Tajikistan is one of those countries which is not well known to much of the international world.  Sort of like Paraguay or Bhutan. The most significant recent events and the ones with which the country and its people are still coming to terms with are the collapse of the Soviet Union and a bitter civil war that followed quickly thereafter. And though the war is now well and truly over, its legacy of mistrust, deep division and suspicion are things that lie just below the surface.

Like in many countries political and social privilege were determined by natural boundaries.  In the case of Tajikistan, the poorest of the former Soviet Central Asian republics, those boundaries were high mountains and sweeping steppes.  In the far eastern part of the country the Ismaili Muslim community (who pledge at least some nominal allegiance to the Aga Khan) ran the intelligence services and were generally feared and despised as such people usually are. Political power and privilege was throughout the Soviet period in the hands of northerners living on the edge of the Ferghana Valley and around the ancient Silk Road city of Khojand (still referred to just a decade ago, by most Tajiks as Leninabad).

In the south of the country lay the capital, Dushanbe (known as Stalinabad until about 1960). The southern part of the country was the bread basket and industrial part but always looked down upon by the northerners and those Ismailis from Badakhshon.  One of the outcomes of the war was to upset the political applecart.  The Khojandis were frozen out of power and the southerners, especially those from Kulyab came out on top.  The President and most key ministers were from this area and they remain determined  not to let the ‘arrogant’ Khojandis regain their former monopoly.

In a pattern that paralleled the political map of the country cultural borders and hierarchy were similarly distributed. Northerners claimed to own the true tradition of Tajik music the system of shashmaqom. This was certainly the view promoted by the Soviet Union. Shashmaqom, was seen as the authentic  and classical (and therefore, most superior) form of music and over the Soviet experiment this form was lauded for its ability to accommodate ‘European’ styles and norms: western instruments, large ensembles and the sort of sounds that symphonic orchestras produced. Other folk traditions were ignored or anthropologised. Shashmaqom and related genres were broadcast and promoted on official radio and television. The other forms only very rarely got a look in. Shashmaqom was identified as posh, urban and sophisticated. 

The problem with this was that shashmaqom was seen by southerners as a music of the Uzbeks or Turks, not truly Tajik/Persian. So throughout the 70 years of Soviet rule culture and political territory shared ethnic and linguistic borders. Southerners, preferred falak a rural folk form of music that relied on untrained performers, small, often individual, groups. The themes of falak (literally: destiny) are similar to the Persian-based ghazal—unrequited love, longing, pain of love, grief. And the classic form of deliver of falak is a single voice accompanied by dutor or singing without accompaniment.

As Tajiks have grappled with the upheavals of post-Soviet realities, music, specifically, and culture, generally, have become new battlegrounds. The government tries to use music as a national unifying force but the guardians of shashmaqom and falak traditions find much to disagree about.

This collection comes once again from my dear friend Manzura (herself from Khojand) and covers most of the bases I’ve alluded to in tonight’s post. There is falaki music of a raw intensity, as well as some almost Egyptian-like large ensemble pieces. And a few nuggets of contemporary pop are tossed in like neutral referees.

Whichever side ultimately  wins the cultural / musical war remains to be seen. But for us non-Tajiks, it is all good. This is wonderful music regardless of its source, its history and its destiny.

            Track Listing:

            01 BAIYOTI  DUTOR

02 CHUDORO YOD KUN

03. DAR LABI DARY

04. DILBARI MASCHOH

05. DILCHAROSH

06. DUSHANBE

07. DUTORAM

08. FACLI GUL

09 IROQI BUCHORO

10 JUDO

11 MEHRI FARZANDI

12 MODAR

13 MUNOJOT

14 NASRI SEGOH

15 NAVOI SHAB

16 NIMCHUPONI

17 OBI RAVON

18 OSHIQON

19 QU

20 ROHAT

21 SABTI ESHBOY

22 SABTI MUNOJOT

23 SAZ E KALAM

24 SOZI DIL

25 TOJIKAM

26 USHOQI JURABEK

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Music from the Top of the World: Modern Pop from Tajikistan

Tajikistan is a small country nestled into the folds of several high mountain ranges we usually call the Roof of the World.  I lived and worked there for some time about ten years ago and it is a place I remember, if not with fondness, not, also, without a certain affection. 

Every once in a while in the winter in the city where I now live I remark to no one in particular, “This is a Dushanbe day.”  What I mean is the air is cool, the tree branches are naked and the sky is an unscarred blue.   The blue skies of Tajikistan are impossible to forget. As is the stone fruit--apricots, peaches, cherries--and the hundreds of varieties of melons all of which ooze with juice and a sweetness never achieved by orchard keepers in the West.  

When I arrived in Tajikistan it was still way off the beaten track. Even foolishly courageous adventure loving tourists rarely came.  There was no internet and only one restaurant that didn’t serve local Tajik food.  A civil war had recently ended but tension was palatable. Warlords and mafia type gangsters controlled the state apparatus and it was not unusual to have gun battles in the middle of Rudaki Avenue, the main tree lined boulevard of Dushanbe.

Tonight the Washerman’s Dog Productions presents a collection of contemporary Tajik pop and folk music. I must thank my old colleague and friend, Manzura, who now works in the President’s Office, for providing me these tracks.  Unfortunately, many of the tracks are unattributed  and the titles of several I’ve had to make up.  Apologies. But then of course, what really counts is the music itself. 

Tajik culture is ancient and closely linked to Persian civilization.  A strong classical music tradition, kept alive for centuries in places such as Bokhara (now in Uzbekistan) and Khojand, by Bokharan Jews, continues to thrive.  In tonight’s collection there are echoes of that tradition in some of the instruments and language and musical structures of the songs.  But this music is really modern pop music ala mode Tajiki.

Some info on some of the artists and bands follows (thanks, again to Manzura).

Daler Nazarov

 Daler Nazarov (born on September 8, 1959)  is a Pamiri from the far Eastern part of the country. He has lived in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan for most of his life, but had to leave the country in the early 90's due to a civil war that ended around 1997. For the next few years he lived in Almaty, Kazakhstan and then returned to Dushanbe. Among his recent work is music for feature movies. Nazarov sings many of his songs  in the Shughni language.

Muboraksho Mirzoshoyev better known as Muboraksho also as Misha was a Pamiri Tajik singer, songwriter and actor recognized alongside Daler Nazarov as a pioneer of the Tajik rock music. Muboraksho was born on August 19, 1961 in Rushon district of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) of Tajikistan. He died on February 8, 2000.

At the age of 14, he composed his first song, Chor javon which later became an instant hit across Tajikistan, when it hit the radio waves in the late 1980s. From 1984 to 1987 he studied at Leningrad (present-day St. Petersburg) Leningrad Aviation Institute, but his early success solidified his desire to pursue a career in music.

Muboraksho

Muboraksho started his professional music career in 1988 when he joined Daler Nazarov's music group after he was introduced to Nazarov by Ikbol Zavkibekov, a professional musician and son of famous Tajik actor and musician Gurminj Zavkibekov. The same year Muboraksho Mirzoshoyev's music became very popular in Tajikistan.

Some of Muboraksho's music centered on the themes of sadness and mysticism, which evoked strong emotions in his fans. He was very close and dear to all Tajiks, as his music and lyrics, some of which borrowed from the medieval mystical Persian poets were able to capture the imagination of his fanbase. His repertoire also included some very upbeat songs. One of his greatest hits was "Ay yōrum biyō" released in 1988, which has become a staple at weddings throughout Tajikistan. Many musicians have made covers of Muboraksho's songs including n.A.T.o.. The Persian rock group Kiosk also made an Iranian cover version of "Ay yōrum biyō" as "Ay Yarom Bia" featuring Mohsen Namjoo.

Muboraksho is a cultural symbol of the Tajik popular music of the 20th century, who had been among a very few artists that have had an enormous influence on the contemporary Tajik music scene. His music has been one of the primary unifying forces among the diverse ethnic groups of Tajikistan.

Avesto

For the past 17 years, Avesto  has played various music, from traditional Tajik to modern swing, jazz-rock, modal jazz and free-jazz.  The group’s creativity is a synthesis of modern jazz and Oriental ethnic musical culture.

The beautiful, original voice of vocalist Tahmina Ramazanova, Oriental melodies and improvisations on traditional and electronic instruments make Avesto a unique representative of jazz in Tajikistan. Avesto is known for courageous musical choices. We experiment and develop new rhythmic and harmonious models, using innovative approach to melody and improvisation. Avesto gets inspiration from Indian, Arabic, African, Latin American rhythms and harmony.

Parem

Parem is a Tajik music band formed in March 1993 at the "Boychechak" Pioneers Club in the former Frunze district in the city of Dushanbe (Tajikistan), under the leadership of Georgiy Dmitrievich Nepomnyashiy. From the spring of 1993 till 1995 the band periodically presented in the rock panoramas without giving solo concerts. But these years were very important for the future of the band, the first songs in Tajik language start to release, which were written by Alisher. In 1995 Vladimir Yumatov left the group and was replaced by Olim Shirinov. In May 1996 year Parem released its first album, Why Love. The song Why Love of the album immediately became a # 1 hit.

Nobovar Chanorov (born on December 25, 1970) is the singer of Shams , the Beatles of Tajikistan.

Created in 1995, Shams is today one of the best Rock and Roll groups  in Tajikstan. A month before the peace agreement of civil war was signed in Tajikistan, the group returned to Dushanbe. The musicians of the group change regularly and Shams of today is known mainly by its singer Nobovar Chanorov and his guitarist Iqbol Zavqibekov.

Nobovar was born in Komsomolobod in the Rasht valley of Tajikistan and spent his childhood in the home village of his parents - Dehrushan. He started his singing from early years. As part of his family tradition, he started playing rubab (the traditional local musical instrument) and accordion and singing maddoh (traditional devotional music) and pop-songs. His father, seeing his talent, gave him to the local musical school which he attended after his formal school at certain days of the week.

As most of his youth days were spend playing different musical instruments and singing different types of traditional and pop-songs, this took him to the doors of the Institute of Arts in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. However, he graduated as an actor of drama rather than singer or musician. Nevertheless, he has maintained his commitment to and love of singing.

This collection is a little window into the popular music of a little known part of the ancient world.  Enjoy!

            Track Listing:

01 Saname (A Ahmedov)
02 Az dast doram (Avesto)
03 Dar e Khab (Avesto)
04 Khomar -e- dosti (Avesto)
05 Dutor e Gitarre (Bahrom)
06 Mastam (Daler Nazarov)
07 Rhythm of the Mountain (Daler Nazarov)
08 Sadness (Daler Nazarov)
09 Theme of a City (Daler Nazarov)
10 Ai joni man asirat (Muboraksho)
11 Bahor omad (Muboraksho)
12 Javon shudam chorjavon (Muboraksho)
13 Khiromon gashta meoi ba suyam (Muboraksho)
14 Gul Bo Tu Dodam (Nobovar)
15 Layli (Nobovar)
16 Ay Charo Ishq (Parem)
17 Dishab (Parem)
18 Guli Man (Parem)
19 Unknown (Parem)
20 Man tanho dar yodu orzuyi tuyam (Parem)
21 KokulhoiDaroz (S. Usmanov)
22 Faqat Khuda (Unknown)
23 Faqat Shumon (Unknown)
24 Naynavoz (Unknown)
25 Instrumental (Unknown)
26 Unknown (Unknown)
27 Y'Alli (Unknown)

28 Dil Raat (Unknown)

Listen here.