Alim Qasimov

Born in 1957, Qasimov grew up in Nabur of Shamakhi, Azerbaijan, a village 100 km north of the capital Baku. His family worked on a Soviet commune and Qasimov worked alongside his parents from a young age. He later reflected that growing up in poverty helped him to live modestly later in life and he never attempted to extricate himself from his peasant background. Qasimov's father was an occasional singer with a good voice but he was a humble man; he never pursued a professional career in singing. Qasimov on the other hand was a keen singer from a young age and his parents noticed his musical desire. Lacking the money to buy him an instrument, his father used a frame and a goat's stomach lining to make a crude drum for his son. He began singing at religious events, and his parents suggested that he study music at school. The form proved difficult for him at times: once, while performing in a local music contest at the age of fourteen, the audience—thinking he did not grasp the correct traditional style—laughed him off the stage. Despite various setbacks, his parents urged him to persist, and he did, enrolling in the state music school in Baku at the age of 21 years. The course consisted of four years of study, specializing in vocal technique and mugham—the repertoire of classical Azerbaijani song. It was here that Qasimov honed his voice, and his teachers were so impressed that they encouraged him to take the final exams two years early. He refused, stating that he still needed time to perfect his abilities. He had realized that music was no longer a pastime for him, but rather a necessity, saying his sole talent and desire was for music. Over the final years of his study, he refined his vocal technique, easily passing the final exam, but he later reflected that he had placed too much emphasis on vocal perfection; he believed it was not until later that he fully understood the deeper content and emotion of mugham. ==Musical career==

Qasimov began singing professionally while Azerbaijan was still under Soviet rule and the mugham form had not received support from the state. Performances were restricted, and, while a few singers aimed to preserve the history of the traditional style, the ruling communist party largely regarded it as a local curiosity. In addition, he was influenced by artists from other disciplines, placing particular importance on Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: "When I heard him in concert, many doors were opened for me and many questions answered". Qasimov was equally pleased with the collaboration, stating that his American counterpart "was very gifted and had a real feeling for Eastern people." The performance resulted in the introduction of Qasimov's music to a broader Western audience. Partly helped by Qasimov's extensive touring and promotion of mugham, UNESCO proclaimed the mugham of Azerbaijan a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in 2003, reassuring the preservation of a centuries-old classical tradition. Similarly, the preservation of Qasimov's own music was assured as he recorded and internationally released his music for the first time, beginning with Classical Mugham, a 1996 collaboration with the Mansurov brothers, and following with Azerbaijan: Art of the Mugham and Legendary Art of Mugham in 1998. In 1999, Qasimov, with his daughter, participated in “The Spirit of the East” concert directed and composed by Israeli Mizrahi musician Peretz Eliyahu and Mark Eliyahu. 2000 to present: Introducing Ferghana Qasimov's daughter, Ferghana Qasimova, had been informally practising with her father since the age of sixteen and was an avid student of mugham. His aim to reconnect younger generations with mugham began to pay dividends; not only was he appealing to traditional Islamic sections of the Azerbaijani population, but also to more Americanized and modern audiences. He toured throughout Europe, now bringing Ferghana along with him, and was in demand to appear at spiritual music festivals in countries such as France and Egypt. Their performances were often critically acclaimed, regardless of the location. Remarking upon a performance in London as part of "Voices of Central Asia", Michael Church stated in The Independent that "initial shock turned to delight as we were drawn into his intimate, multicoloured world". The father and daughter duo paid dividends and, following their performance in Cairo in May 2008, Al-Ahram Weekly stressed the qualities of their powerful vocal unity and stage presence, describing Qasimov as "a master of mugham". Despite initial problems involving the Kronos Quartet's arrangements and Qasimov's improvisation, the event received positive reviews. Robin Denselow of The Guardian opined that Qasimov "is certainly one of the most thrilling, unashamedly emotional performers on the planet, and the finest exponent of mugham". In 1995, Qasimov performed "What Will You Say" as a duet with Jeff Buckley at the Festival de la Musique Sacrée (Festival of Sacred Music) in France. In 2014, Qasimov performed at the Festival Internacional Cervantino, the largest international festival in Latin America. In 2015, Qasimov performed the opening act during the Opening Ceremony of the First European Games in Baku, as well as a further performance midway, singing from a flying carpet. == Influence and legacy ==

In 2009, he was included in a 500 most influential Muslims of world book. The Icelandic singer Björk complimented Qasimov, by naming him as her "favourite singer alive today". In 2009, Turkish newspaper Zaman named him as "Central Asia's Greatest Voice". In 2010, Qasimov was nominated for the United States National Public Radio's "50 great voices in recorded history" award. ==Personal life==

He teaches mugham at Asaf Zeynally Music School in Baku. ==Discography==

Albums • Classical Mugham (1996) • The Legendary Art of Mugham (1997) with Alim Qasimov Ensemble • The Art of Mugham: Azerbaidjan (Live) (1997) • The Mugham of Azerbaidjan (1999) • ''Love's Deep Ocean'' (1999) with Farghana Qasimova • Oyanish (2003) with Coldünya • Central Asian Series, Vol. 6: Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan (2007) with Farghana Qasimova • Intimate dialogue – live at Morgenland Festival Osnabrück 2009 with Farghana Qasimova • Seven Beauties Music Project with Shoayb Shahabi (2018) • Awakening (Buda Musique, 2019) with Michel Godard As featured artist ==References==