Али Лигидов - Лъапэрисэ Щэщэн

Apsuva Koşara (Türkiyede Yaşayan Abhazların Dans Müziği)

An Dro Medar

This album includes recordings from a major expedition across Türkiye in 2017. Some of these materials have been released in previous years. This release features songs and tunes we collected in two neighboring provinces: Sakarya and Düzce.
In Sakarya, we visited the Abkhazian family ensemble Azar, which folklorist Madina Pashtova and our friend Erhan Turkav recommended to us before the expedition. Erhan, a Circassian from Türkiye, knew almost all the elderly and young musicians in Sakarya and Düzce.
The rare recordings we found on Facebook from compilations promised a meeting with an old style, free from academic or pop influences. Expeditions in Abkhazia showed that such music is almost gone there. The Soviet influence was very strong — choirs in Sukhumi, Pitsunda, and even villages often sounded like ensembles from radio committees or cultural centers. This, of course, is also interesting, but we wanted to find performers who had either not been influenced by this or had somehow overcome it.
Thus, we were looking forward to our trip to the villages of Sakarya, perhaps even more so than other meetings in Türkiye. It seemed our informants were just as eager to meet us. From the doorstep, we were greeted by elderly Abkhazians keen to show us their hospitality — the table was full of homemade food, and people were ready for well-wishes and toasts (though we only drank tea there).
During the long feast, we learned that the ensemble had faced difficult times — one of the main vocalists and experts in traditional Abkhazian songs, Nezhmettin Anashba, had recently passed away, making it harder for the group to maintain the style of Abkhazian polyphony. It was also sad that there seemed to be no replacements among the younger generation. Azar was regarded as the last bastion of Abkhazian table singing. As is often the case, people were more focused on preserving the image of the last and most valuable bearers of tradition than on acquiring their knowledge and skills.
Fortunately, Tolat Sadzba was still alive — an elder who still remembered the song lyrics and was willing to sing them. That day, after several dishes and traditional blessings, we managed to record only two songs. A heroic ballad from the Russo-Caucasian War about Ajgerei-ipa Kuchuk (about whom there are both Circassian and Ossetian songs) and a song-melody for choral dances — Aurasha.
Perhaps we could have recorded more, but the informants were more interested in talking and asking about the homeland (both Abkhazia and the Circassian republics) than in singing songs. The first expedition is often introductory, where we establish contact, and the main part of the material is recorded during the second visit when people are no longer trying to impress us with their hospitality. We left Sakarya firmly believing we would return later and record the rest. But just a few months after our recording, Tolat Sadzba passed away. Thus, these two incredible songs became our only recording of the legendary Azar.
Recording in Düzce
Erhan also organized the recording in Düzce. There, elders (mostly Shapsugs and a few Abkhazians) formed a home ensemble with the ironic name "70-Year-Old Youth." This joke not only accurately described the participants' age and enthusiasm but also the music played by the unofficial group — wedding music for games-dzhegu.
The lively elders passed the accordion, played the melodies from hand to hand, sang dance refrains in chorus, and used large wooden benches as percussion instruments, hitting them with wooden sticks (called pkhachag here).


70’lik Delikanlılar - Abkhazian & Circassian Music from Turkey - 03 I

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Адильхан Бамматказиев -Лезгинка

A whole new collection of Adyghean and Abkhazian melodies is out, meaning the Caucasian Musical Olymp is bestowed with a new resident - His name Aslan Dudarov. The first album, which Aslan named Guhatl’ ("Гухэлъ" -"in Heart") showed the author as a talented executor and unordinary arranger, who is never afraid to open up his heart and soul to speak through the language of national harmonika.

Aslan was born and brought up in Nalchik. With his sense of humour and open smile, he is distinguished for his love to his people and culture. Adyghean etiquette for Aslan - a norm of life, and music -the life itself.

Rich folklore, heroic epos and music accompanied Circassian history throughout centuries. And the spirit of ancestors has not disappeared- Aslan has turned all his the talents to revive it in full.

"The gene of creativity" lives in Aslan by right of succession. His grandfather, Hauti Dudarov, studied music in reknown Leningrad Conservatory, though has remained in literature encyclopedias as a famous circassian native language writer, journalist, one of the founders of satire and humour in the Kabardian literature. Aslan's Aunt - Zarema Dudar -a designer residing in Italy, his mum - Fatima Dudarova-a journalist, working in Nalchik.

Aslan has chosen musical path, having graduated from Kabardino-Balkarian Art School, majoring in folk instruments, namely, harmonica and accordeon. For a short period, Aslan worked with such famous dance groups as "Bjamiy" and "Kabardinka". Later he moved to Moscow where he became an acomponist for the dance group "Adygi" in Moscow Adyghe Culture Hase (Association).

In 2001 Aslan made up his mind to work on his own album of Circassian music. His aspirations were supported by many successful Circassians: famous lawyer Albert Kazharov, Arsen Kanokov, Murat Isakov, Muharbiy Cherkesov, Albert Nazranov.

The project has drown a great number of participants and assistants. Professionalism of the music performers- Anzor and Murat Uvizh, Zuber Ivazov, Zaur Chilov, Lebanese Circassian Blyanighap'tsa Nart, supported by many marvelous voices of Kabarda are impressing. Album cover belong to the brush of the talented Kabardian artist - Murat Dishech, Italy. Album Design - the merit of a Syrian Circassian- Yerokua Bishar.

French writer Romain Rolland named music "song of centuries and a flower of history". One after another, Aslan's soundtracks take up back to ancient legends and tunes, heard in childhood from grandmothers.

Here invincible warrior Sosruko competes in power and dexterity with others narts, dancing on traditional Circassian tri-table – "ane аIнэ". Here Tlepsh, the master of iron, beating hammers over anvil … And light-handed Adiyuh runs down the river that echos her sad songs. And here the god of woods Mezitha blesses Badinokua to furtunate hunting.Instrumental folk tunes are echoed with music of the nature - the bird's trills, wispers of the river. Even formerly known melodies in Aslan's execution begin to sound in a whole new way, causing new associations,bringing up new images.

In total 15 compositions are presented in the album. Aslan, as a true collector of musical folklore, has addressed melodies of various tribes: from Mozdogu (Mezdegu) Kabardians to Black Sea Adygheans, not overlooking Turkish emigrants: former soloist of ensemble  "Kabardinka" Bitok Anzor brought original Shapsoughian Udge Hurashe (Шапсугский удж "Хъурашэ")  and Abazehian Lapelef ("Лъапэлъэф")  from Turkey to Aslan, back to homeland.

We must note that Aslan's musical "know-how" is in a way a tour into the history of Circassian musical performance.
   
For instance, the epigraph to the composition "Udge Hesh" ("Удж хэш") is the original music of the famous Kuratsa Chashirgh, whose accordion is exhibited in the Folklore Museum of Kabardino-Balkaria.

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