Azerbaijani Gitara, Vol 2

Bongo Joe Records’ first foray into gitara music from Azerbaijan (the aptly-titled Azerbaijani Gitara by Rüstem Quliyev, released in 2020) was a revelation. Now we get Vol 2, this time a compilation of the work of Rahman Mammadli… and cor, it’s just as good. The key ingredient in gitara is the electric guitar – specifically Jolana guitars from Czechoslovakia, which Azeri musicians realised was a perfect fit for creating an exciting modern blend of folk and classical styles, as well as influences from East and West. Mammadli’s speciality is in pointing gitara towards classical mugham, transforming emotional, solemn art music into a wild rollercoaster of guitar wizardry accompanied by synths, programmed drums and the occasional accordion. This album’s opener, ‘Qoçeli’, is the perfect example. You get about one second of synth drone to tune in and prepare for what’s coming before Mammadli comes roaring in, guitar already on full-distortion, creating a beautiful, unmetred improvisation; later, Casio beats and frame drum come in, and it just turns up to the next notch again. Like Quliyev, Mammadli’s style shows clear influence from the iconic tar in the way he picks the strings and crafts his runs, and in the minute adjustments he makes within each note, bending the strings freely and subtly, getting access to the most ecstatic of microtones. But what is most astonishing is the sheer vocality that he gets out of his guitar. At times there is an uncanny sense that the sounds he makes are literally that of a master singer, even affecting techniques such as zangula, a sort of chromatic yodelling so distinctive of mugham. The programmed backing tracks and beats sometimes get a bit wearing, but they’re never allowed to linger on their own for long before they are inevitably and completely overshadowed by guitar. It’s that good. Two volumes into the Azerbaijani Gitara series, and it’s all gold. I wonder how many more master musicians, how many treasure troves of gitara are still waiting to grace our ears? I can’t wait to hear more.