by Betty Blair and Pirouz KhanlouMore: The Poetry of Mugham
Alim Gasimov's (1957- ) career as a mugham singer nearly ended at age 14. He'll never forget the humiliation he felt while competing in a local music contest; when he started singing what he figured was mugham, the audience started laughing at him. Alim stepped down from the stage with tears in his eyes. Fortunately, he didn't give up on mugham.Twenty-eight years later, in 1999, Alim won the prestigious UNESCO Music Prize, one of the highest international accolades that a musician can hope for. Previous laureates have included Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Ravi Shankar and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Alim Gasimov's latest CD, entitled "Love's Deep Ocean" (no Azeri title), features him and his daughter Fargana; the album was released in Frankfurt by Network Medien. In the near future, samples of Alim and Fargana's music may be heard at Azerbaijan International's Web site at AZER.com. Click on MUSIC. Jala Garibova also contributed to this article.
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