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  Ochilbek Matchonov
Music From Central Asia: Uzbekistan on the Silk Road (ARC Music EUCD
1946, 2005)
Music from the Silk Road regions and countries ending in "stan" has been getting
a lot of notice lately. Maybe it's something to do with the emergence of those
places after the fall of the Soviet Union or a greater desire to understand the
various cultures of the Muslim world.
The liner notes of this album by blind singer and tor (lute) player Ochilbek
Matchonov mention the particular pan-Islamic feel of Uzbek music, and given the
fact that my office mate walked in while this CD was playing and asked if it was
Arabic, I'm inclined to agree. And it's that monophonic, microtonal quality that
I like- the tart, hair-raising feel as voice and instruments including the
gijjak (spike fiddle), kushnay (double clarinet) and doira (frame drum) wail
their way through songs that can be all manner of spiritual or secular in
nature. It's the former that gets the lion's share here, since the longest of
the 7 tracks is the 39-minute "Thanks be to God."
What you won't find here is anything electronic or contemporary-sounding.
Rather, this album draws upon the dual traditions of Uzbek folk and "art" (classical) music, based upon distinct structural modes and powered by
Matchonov's lung-busting singing and the equally intense instrumental
accompaniment. If you're interested in uncompromising Central Asian music that
goes for the gut, this one's for you.
[Buy
Music from Central Asia Uzbekistan on the Silk Road].
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