Tadjikistan

Re-upped 12/22,2022.  Direct Link, no decryption code needed.

Tadjikistan is a former republic of the USSR which sits between Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, & Uzbekistan. The Tadjik language is of Persian origin. The Tadjik were successively dominated by the Turks, Seljukides, Mongols, & at the end of the 19th century the Russians, all of which influenced their music, yet they manage to maintain & preserve a rich traditional culture as well. Davlatmand Kholov is a musician & singer from Kulyab, Tadjikistan, probably the most acclaimed Tadjik musician. He is a keeper of traditional Tadjik music, performing most of the different styles of popular & traditional music of his country.

Davlatmand is an expert in the genre of southern Tadjik classical music called Falak, (literally ‘heaven’, ‘fate’, or ‘universe’…a style of music native to the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia, particularly the Badakhshan region of northeastern Afghanistan, southeastern Tadjikistan, & northern Pakistan. Falak lyrics can involve religious-mystical themes of divine love, separation & reunion often drawn from Persian Sufi poetry) whose traditions have evolved over ten centuries. He performs Sufi music, mostly with lyrics from the poetry of Dzhallaladina Rumi. A multi-instrumentalist, he studied at the conservatory in Dushanbe. He is well-known for his virtuosity on traditional Tadjik instruments.

On this release, the music is performed by Davlatmand Kholov – vocals, dutar, ghidjak, & setar with Abdoussattar Abdoullaev on tabla.

Davlatmand Kholov - Musiques Savanteset Populaires du Tadjikistan, 

Inédit/Maison des Cultures du Monde, 1992.

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Tracklist –

Devonah Shaw

Halghae Dom Ast

Maidabaran

Omadai  
Dour Mashaw
Tcharkh-O-Falak
Layla 

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Here is another, more modern sounding take on traditional Tadjikistan Pamiri from Oleg Fesov. He has described his music as “an attempt to present the musical ideas of Badakhshan & the Pamir mountains to the rest of the world”.


Oleg Fesov (Олег Фезов) was born in 1963 in Badakhshan, Tadjikistan. He is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, & composer who composes & arranges his own songs in addition to performing. In 1990 he graduated from Dushanbe College of Arts. He is considered one of the best illustrating artists of children's stories. At the same time, his natural talent & passions for music allowed him to simultaneously develop a musical career. His Music reflects his ancestory from the Pamir Mountains. His people are Badakhshani, or Pamiri, an ethnic group of some 350,000 people who are divided by the Afghanistan-Tadjikistan border. Fesov was forced to leave his home country because of the Civil War of Tadjikistan that raged during the 1990s. His studio & equipment were looted. Fezov had to flee to Moscow.

The album Lalaiki Pamir presents the musical traditions & ideas of Badakhshan (Tadjikistan) & the Pamir Mountains. The traditional oriental string & percussion instruments such as sitar, rubab, oud, dombra, various drums & tablas play an important role in the music of Oleg Fesov that combine with his intense & emotionally charged voice. All lyrics are in Tadjik or the Pamirian languages Rushani & Shughni. 

As an interesting aside, on “Lalaik” the vocalist is Nargis Bandishoeva (Наргис Бандишоева). She was a popular pop singer from Tadjikistan, born October 8, 1966 in Dushanbe into the family of very well known composers Hukumatshoh Bandishoev & his wife Bunafsha Bekova. On September 21, 1991, before this great song was released, Bandishoeva died in a car accident.

On Lalaiki Pamir, the musicians are: Oleg Fesov – vocals, guitar, sitar, rubab, keyboards, & drums; Nargiz Bandichoeva – vocals on “Lalaik”; Eradj Alikulidze – guitar; Rafik Chairov – guitar & flute; Churschet Alidodov – mandolin, oud, rubab, tabla drum & percussion, Ilchom – 12-string guitar & rubab; Ikbol Savkibedov – guitar & sitar;  Evgenja Mamontova – violin; Andrey Kerimov – keyboards; Sohib Nosimov – keyboards; Alexander Lens – bass; Surab Kokoev – drums.

 Oleg Fesov – Lalaik Pamir, Blue Flame – 398 40592, 1993. 
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Tracklist –

Marav

Az In Schab Mastum

Messusam

Yo Mavlo

Armonija

Muslim

Amina

Dargil

Tscharo

MaschKutscha

Chudat Medoni

Lalaik

Requiem

Enjoy,

NØ