2 languages
Alim Qasimov en Malik Mansurov
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Alim Qasimov en Malik Mansurov · Alim Qasimov was born in 1957 in the village of Nabur near Shamakhi in Azerbaijan, some hundred kilometres north of Baku. His family worked on a Soviet collective farm and he helped out from an early age. He began singing at religious gatherings. At fourteen, during a local competition, he was laughed off the stage by the audience, who thought he had not mastered the traditional style. He persevered and became one of the most important singers of mugham, the classical music of Azerbaijan.
Music and breakthrough
In Soviet times mugham received no support from the state and was seen by the party mainly as a local curiosity. Even so, Qasimov gained international recognition, including at UNESCO symposia in 1983 and 1987. He combined mugham with ashiq, a bardic tradition of the countryside, and was influenced by the qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In the 1990s he toured Iran, Brazil, the United States and Europe, among other places, and worked with Jeff Buckley. In 1993 he became People's Artist of Azerbaijan and in 1999 he won the UNESCO Music Prize of the International Music Council. Malik Mansurov performed with him and was mentioned by The New York Times as a highlight of a festival.
Influence
Qasimov's voice is best known for its vocal improvisation. The New York Times called him one of the greatest singers in the world. In 2012 he sang along at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku.
Listening
Bayati Shiraz: Däramäd, bardasht, maye · Alim Qasimov en Malik Mansurov, 1997