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.

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