Rhythms of Azerbaijani Dances

This is the latest in Felmay’s series of Azerbaijani music that focuses on folk and dance repertoire, and it features squealing zurna (shawms) and naghara (barrel drums). I feel it’s music that would be better heard in a field recording of a village party, if such things still exist, although the sound recording and instrumental playing here are excellent.

The repertoire that works best is the softer music, played by a small ensemble of plucked tar, bowed kamancha, reedy balaban and naghara drum, the sort of instruments that accompany mugham. The musicians here are those that regularly accompany top artists such as Gochag Askarov, so the musicianship is excellent. The zurna tracks are really meant for outdoor performance and sound quite strident on CD. One of the most appealing pieces is ‘Bakhtavari’ (Happy), a dance played on gharmon accordion with a wonderfully irregular 6/8 rhythm. There’s also a percussion highlight, ‘Sirli An’ (Magical Moment), composed by Kamran Karimov for several percussion instruments including the gosha naghara – two clay pots covered with goat skin and played with sticks.