It must be a dream. There are intoxicating scents in the air as the Navroz procession goes past the ancient carvings of Saymalitosh. Women swirl gracefully decked in the colorful wraps of quilted cotton wool and headdresses with intricate jewelry. As the audience sways to the beats of the doyra, its heady rhythm is joined by the silky twangs of the kamancha. It takes the soulful notes of American jazz to bring the audience back to consciousness from a musical trance invoking the ancient sounds of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
An enraptured audience of over 100 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas experienced the magical journey into times long past. Co-sponsored in April 2017 by the Aga Khan Music Initiative and the Aga Khan Council for Central US, the event showcased the extensive musical heritage of Central Asia. The performers were an eclectic trio named Ancient Moods, comprising internationally renowned masters, Imamyar Hasanov, Abbos Kosimov, and Osam Ezzeldin.
An amazing percussionist, Abbos Kasimov is a master of the doyra, an ancient hand drum widely used in ritual ceremonies in Uzbekistan. He has been a winner of the Competition of Percussion Instruments of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Kasimov performs internationally with Zakir Hussain and Randy Gloss’s percussion group, Hands On’Semble, and he has recorded with Stevie Wonder.
Working as the Global Music Director for the San Francisco World Music Festival since 2012, Imamyar Hasanov is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso on kamancha, the ancient stringed national musical instrument of Azerbaijan played with a bow. The kamancha is characterized by its charming, tender and melodic sound. Hasanov is known for his versatility as an arranger, bridging the vast divides between his own traditional scales and those of other cultures. He is the winner of numerous national and classical music competitions in Azerbaijan.
Pianist, composer, educator, and producer Osam Ezzeldin is an Egyptian-born American, now residing in California. He embarked on a journey of self-directed jazz study and began a rapid rise to excellence. Ezzeldin has shared the stage and the studio with some of the world’s leading jazz musicians including Billy Cobham, Giovanni Hidalgo, Stanley Jordan, and Larry Coryell.
Ancient Moods stands out for its unique compositions that fuse traditional, folk, and classical music from Central Asia with modern jazz to create a message of peace and unity. Each artist introduces his culture through a solo performance, which concludes with a powerful trio of all cultures in complete harmony. While enjoying the unique fusion, the audience could visibly see the camaraderie between the artists. The underlying message was clear. The humanitarian pursuit of peace, happiness, and harmony are universal and inherent in all cultures.
