I first heard my now-favorite Uzbek song, which we sing in music class as “Taralilalalai,” on the Smithsonian Folkways recording, Bukhara: Musical Crossroads of Asia. “Taralilalalai” is the chorus of first song in a medley listed as “Songs From Sozanda Repertory.” Sozanda is a particular kind of repertoire from the Tajik city of Bukhara that is sung exclusively by women. This video is a Taralilalalai blast from the past — an early video captured in an early All Around This World music class. (The kids are now so grown up!)
Tag Archives | Uzbekistan
Give a Hand to Uzbek Folk Dance
Uzbek folk dancing, which most publicly takes place at festive life-cycle events like a marriage, is generally a gender-segregated affair — women most often dance together, as do men.
Most Uzbek dancing involves arm and hand motion rather than intricate footwork, though there is apparently is room for the occasional stomp. In our live online classes we (sort of) give it a try.
Sevara Sings Yor Yor
Time to sing with Sevara Nazarkhan….
We start our week of exploration in Uzbekistan by meeting Sevara Nazarkhan, an artist who can sing what we believe to be meaningful modern songs that channel countless cultures of the Uzbek past. Watch her perform at the international music festival WOMAD,
U Know we love Uzbekistan
This week our online class for kids takes us to Uzbekistan, a “doubly landlocked” country in Central Asia. For centuries Uzbekistan was one of the most important stops on the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between the Mediterranean and China. This brought a constant stream of travelers and traders to cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara, which was generally a good thing. Unfortunately, Uzbekistan was also right in the path, and therefore under the thumb, of conquerors such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane and, most recently, the Soviets. This week we’re going to conquer an Uzbek song and try an Uzbek dance.
Sevara’s Yol Bolsin
Sevara Nazarkhan, one of Uzbekistan’s most beloved vocalists, transcends both traditional and contemporary Uzbek music to create dynamic global pop….
In our upcoming season of All Around This World classes we’ll travel deep into the heart of Central Asia. TIn this performance of her hit “Yol Bolsin,” Sevara Nazarkhan is a modern rock star, while in another, Sevara draws on the same song to connect us with her nation’s cultured past. We’ll enjoy more music from Sevara in a few weeks when our class takes us to Uzbekistan.
Silk Road Singing: Shashmaqam
Music from Uzbekistan lives! And so does Shashmaqam.
Today not only do awe-inspiring music projects like the Silk Road Ensemble introduce the vibrant cultures of Central Asia to audiences around the world, but contemporary performing groups like the New York-based Bukharan Jewish Ensemble Shasmaqam keep centuries-old traditions, like that of this very special Uzbek/Tajik/Persian/Jewish Silk Road genre of music alive.
The Sand Family Teaching Taralilalalai on Tour
Yesterday we saw a video from many moons ago of little kids in All Around This World music class singing “Taralilalalai,” an ancient Tajiki-language Uzbek song from Bukhara. (“Taralilalalai” essentially means “la la la,” while “yar eh” means “my dear.”) Years forward, two of the tiny kids from yesterday’s video are now formidable members of the Sand Family band. Here we are teaching Taralialalai to kids at a concert Kirkland, Washington, near Seattle, on our 2016 summer tour.
Uzbek Singing on the Side of the Road
As a landlocked Central Asian nation that was also a hub of Silk Road travel, music from Uzbekistan developed from deep local traditions but has also remained open to outside influence. Styles like Shashmaqam, a Sufi-inspired, lyrical form, developed from the music of Tajiks, Uzbeks, and even Bukharan Jews. (We’ll learn more about Shashmaqam later this week.) Here we meet a Uzbek who cuts to the heart of Uzbek folk songs.
