25 Facts About Alim Qasimov

Alim Hamza oghlu Qasimov is an Azerbaijani musician and one of the most major mugham singers in Azerbaijan.

Alim Qasimov was awarded the International Music Council-UNESCO Music Prize in 1999, one of the highest international prizes for music.

Alim Qasimov's music is characterized by his vocal improvisation and represents a move away from the traditional style of mugham.

Alim Qasimov's family worked on a Soviet commune and Qasimov worked alongside his parents from a young age.

Alim Qasimov 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.

Alim 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.

Alim Qasimov on the other hand was a keen singer from a young age and his parents noticed his musical desire.

Alim Qasimov began singing at religious events and his parents suggested that he study music at school.

Alim Qasimov refused, stating that he still needed time to perfect his abilities.

Alim Qasimov had realised that music was no longer a pastime for him, but rather a necessity, saying his sole talent and desire was for music.

However, Alim Qasimov's growing popularity was accompanied by declining Soviet influence and in 1983 he won the national Jabbar Garyaghdioghlu Singing Competition.

Alim Qasimov's tours were very well received in his both home country and abroad; as travel outside the Soviet Union was rare for citizens at the time, his tours and concerts garnered much press and many television announcements.

Alim Qasimov's success was all the more impressive for he had broken from the traditional style of mugham and brought his own interpretation to the genre.

Alim Qasimov's music gained more exposure in Europe and North America when a chance meeting with American musician Jeff Buckley at a classical music festival in France resulted in a collaboration.

Partly helped by Alim 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.

Alim Qasimov recorded and released further works with The Art of Mugham in 1997 and Central Asian Series, Vol.

Alim Qasimov took the opportunity to perform in New York City in 2005 as part of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project.

Alim Qasimov 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.

Robin Denselow of The Guardian opined that Alim Qasimov "is certainly one of the most thrilling, unashamedly emotional performers on the planet, and the finest exponent of mugham".

In 1995, Alim Qasimov performed "What Will You Say" as a duet with Jeff Buckley at the Festival de la Musique Sacree in France.

In 2014, Alim Qasimov performed at the Festival Internacional Cervantino, the largest international festival in Latin America.

In 2015, Alim 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.

The Icelandic singer Bjork complimented Alim Qasimov, by naming him as her "favourite singer alive today".

In 2010, Alim Qasimov was nominated for the United States National Public Radio's "50 great voices in recorded history" award.

Alim Qasimov teaches mugham at Asaf Zeynally Music School in Baku.