Wikipedia

Azerbaijani Gitara

Azerbaijani Gitara is a series of compilation albums released by Swiss label Bongo Joe. The albums compile music in the genre of Azerbaijani gitara, which was first developed in the 1960s as Azerbaijani musicians like Rafiq Hüseynov fused traditional genres such as mugham with western styles on Czech Jolana guitars.[1] The first volume (2020) compiles music by Rüstəm Quliyev, a native of Nagorno-Karabakh who remains popular in Azerbaijan thanks to the YouTube channel run by his nephew. The second volume (2024) compiles music by Rəhman Məmmədli, one of the first players to replicate traditional vocals with heavy distortion on the electric guitar.

Volume 1

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Azerbaijani Gitara
 
Compilation album by
Rüstəm Quliyev
Released18 September 2020
Recorded1999-2004 in Azerbaijan
GenreAzerbaijani gitara
Length43:58
LabelBongo Joe

Rüstəm Quliyev was born in 1969 in Kosalar, a village in Nagorno-Karabakh.[2] In the 1990s he moved to Baku to escape the violence of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.[3] Quliyev's first instrument was the Azerbaijani tar, and from that background he developed a distinct sound on the electric guitar.[4] Quliyev made a living playing at weddings and on Azerbaijani TV,[3] and he remains popular in Azerbaijan, partly due to the YouTube channel run by his nephew Vasif Javadli.[2] Quliyev died of lung cancer in 2005.[2]

Azerbaijani Gitara was compiled by ethnomusicologist Ben Wheeler and anthropologist Stefan Williamson Fa, who also wrote the liner notes together.[2][3] Wheeler and Williamson Fa's record label Mountain of Tongues had previously released several of the tracks on a 2019 cassette compilation of Quliyev's music.[5]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Songlines     [4]
The Times     [3]

In a review for The Times, Clive Davis called the album " one of the most unusual and exhilarating releases of the year" and "hypnotically danceable."[3] Jim Hickson of Songlines particularly praised the tracks "Əfqan Musiqisi" and "Yanıq Kərəmi".[4]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Ay Dili Dili"3:58
2."Aman Tello"5:21
3."Əfqan Musiqisi"4:05
4."İran Təranələri"4:51
5."Tancor Disko"4:45
6."Fars Musiqisi"6:21
7."Yanıq Kərəmi"6:10
8."Neyçün Gəlməz"4:28
9."Baş Sarıtel"3:56
Total length:43:58

Personnel

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  • Research and liner notes – Ben Wheeler and Stefan Williamson Fa
  • Analog mastering – Tim Stollenwerk
  • Artwork – Félicité Landrivon
  • Artistic supervision – Cyril Yeterian
  • Vinyl cut – Adi Flück

Volume 2

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Azerbaijani Gitara Volume 2
 
Compilation album by
Rəhman Məmmədli
Released31 May 2024
GenreAzerbaijani gitara
Length39:07
LabelBongo Joe

Rəhman Məmmədli was born in 1961, and played the garmoshka as a child.[1] He learned to play electric guitar in the mid-1970s, and used it to play Azerbaijani folk songs and mughams with heavy distortion;[1] he was one of the first to do so.[6] Məmmədli currently teaches tar at a music school in Fuzuli.[1]

Azerbaijani Gitara Volume 2 was compiled by Ben Wheeler, Stefan Williamson Fa, and Cyril Yeterian, and released on Bongo Joe on 31 May 2024.[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Buzz Magazine     [8]
Mojo     [9]
PopMatters9/10[10]
Songlines     [11]

Adriane Pontecorvo of PopMatters wrote that "in every song here, Məmmədli sets high standards in terms of creativity and continuity...the music here stretches wide the bounds of mugham, and Rəhman Məmmədli dazzles."[10] Jim Irvin of Mojo called Məmmədli's playing "an extraordinary noise, an acidic tone dialled up in all directions...a stinging sound that could loosen your dentistry."[9] In a 5-star review for Songlines, Jim Hickson wrote that "what is most astonishing is the sheer vocality that [Məmmədli] gets out of his guitar. At times there is an uncanny sense that the sounds he makes are literally that of a master singer."[11] Francis Gooding of The Wire compared Məmmədli's sound to a "cat that has swallowed a laser cannon."[6]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Qoçəlı̇"4:04
2."Xal Qalmadı"5:03
3."Yanıq Kərəmı̇"5:20
4."Xarı Bülbül"5:21
5."Qoca Dağlar"5:37
6."Uca Dağlar Başında"5:01
7."Leylı̇can"4:35
8."Gəl Gəl Ey Gözəl"4:03
Total length:39:07

Personnel

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  • Research and liner notes – Ben Wheeler, Stefan Williamson Fa, and Cyril Yeterian
  • Digitisation and scans from original tapes – Seb Thieme
  • Mastering – Jean-Louis Morgère
  • Vinyl cut – Adi Flück
  • Artwork – Gaspar Capac
  • Liner notes Layout – Félicité Landrivon

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Jakub Knera (2024-05-24), "Compilation of the Week: Rəhman Məmmədli's Azerbaijani Gitara Volume 2", The Quietus, retrieved 2024-08-04
  2. ^ a b c d Megan Iacobini de Fazio (2020-09-17), "The Psychedelic Sound of Rüstəm Quliyev, King of Azerbaijani Guitar", Bandcamp Daily, retrieved 2024-08-02
  3. ^ a b c d e Clive Davis (2020-10-16), "Rustem Quliyev: Azerbaijani Gitara review — mesmerising guitar fusions from a rediscovered star", The Times, retrieved 2024-08-02
  4. ^ a b c Jim Hickson (January 2021), "Azerbaijani Gitara (review)", Songlines, no. 164, retrieved 2024-08-02
  5. ^ "Rüstəm Quliyev by Rüstəm Quliyev", mountainsoftongues.bandcamp.com, retrieved 2024-08-02
  6. ^ a b Francis Gooding (August 2024), "Azerbaijani Gitara Volume 2 (review)", The Wire, no. 486, p. 66
  7. ^ "Azerbaijani Gitara volume 2", rhmanmmmdli.bandcamp.com, retrieved 2024-08-04
  8. ^ Noel Gardner (2024-06-09), "Azerbaijani Gitara: untamed guitar-playing from legendary shredder Rəhman Məmmədli", Buzz Magazine, retrieved 2024-08-07
  9. ^ a b Jim Irvin (July 2024), "Stinging lessons", Mojo, no. 368, H Bauer Publishing Ltd, p. 100, ISSN 1351-0193
  10. ^ a b Adriane Pontecorvo (2024-06-03), "'Azerbaijani Gitara Volume 2' Displays Rəhman Məmmədli's Guitar Genius", PopMatters, retrieved 2024-08-04
  11. ^ a b Jim Hickson (July 2024), "Azerbaijani Gitara Volume 2 (review)", Songlines, no. 199, MA Education & Music Ltd, p. 60, ISSN 1464-8113, retrieved 2024-08-04
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