Obituary: Ferus Mustafov (1950-2023)

Ferus Mustafov has died at the age of 72 in hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, after suffering a stroke. The saxophonist and clarinettist, popularly known as ‘King Ferus’ and a major figure in Yugoslav and latterly Macedonian popular folk music, was born in the eastern Macedonian city of Štip to a family of Roma musicians. Both his father Ilmi Jašarov and his mother Zumbrut played the saxophone. Ferus studied violin and clarinet at the local music school, where he learned to read music, but abandoned his studies to turn professional at the age of seventeen. As his reputation grew he was invited to Sarajevo, cradle of the folk new wave of the 1970s, where he played for various folk bands. Having already mastered his native country’s varied styles, he was introduced here to the music of Charlie Parker, for whom he formed a lasting admiration. Following this he toured extensively with a series of famous neo-folk singers, eventually returning to Skopje, where he lived until the end of his life, performing and recording mostly instrumental pieces locally and globally, and working as director of music for Roma-language television stations.

He was distinguished by his exceptionally fleet articulation, rich tone, sharp musical intelligence and inventive improvisations. His soulful virtuosity led to him making a couple of recordings for Western labels, but he generally eschewed the world music circuit, preferring to play for local and diasporic audiences, often in his own motel-restaurant with a basement recording studio, where he continued his musical experimentation until the end of his life. He was well-known for his talent and his warm and generous character, and a familiar media presence, once even appearing on the country’s version of Candid Camera. He leaves numerous children and grandchildren, many following the family tradition of music.