Jeffrey Werbock February 6, 2010

CONCERT - $16 Advance/$20 Door, 8:00 pm

One of the richest traditions in Near Eastern music is that of the Caucasus Mountains, and in particular, of Azerbaijan. The art music of Azerbaijan is closely related to Persian court music and reflects both ancient liturgical music and the vigorous folk of the various nomadic peoples who have inhabited, conquered or passed through the region over the centuries.

Jeffrey Werbock will present an evening of instrumental solo improvisations based on traditional Azerbaijani mugham, played on oud - fretless wood face short neck lute; tar - fretted skin face long neck lute; and kamancha - skin face spike fiddle.

Azerbaijani mugham is monophonic modal music, highly microtonal, meter free, densly ornamented, composed of complex melodic lines that are somewhat improvised according to the eastern tradition of theme and variation, and convey a mix of sorrow and joy, exhaltation and lament, and an overall sense of antiquity and otherworldiness.

Mr. Werbock has been giving presentations for well over three decades and has performed often at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, Asia Society, World Music Institute, and presents lecture demonstrations at colleges and universities all over the English speaking world. He has been awarded an honorary degree by the National Music Conservatory of Azerbaijan, in Baku, and was recently sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan to perform a solo concert.

Jeffrey Werbock is one of the few westerners who has mastered this highly complex music. He was taught by Zevulon Avshalomov, one of the acknowledged masters of Azerbaijani Mugham music and a fine instrument maker. Mr. Werbock studied for twelve years with the master, and was considered by Avshalomov as his prize pupil, and inheritor of this tradition. He has performed worldwide to high acclaim with his teacher, as a solo performer and in ensembles on the kamencheh, tar, gaval and oud. Mr. Webock is a fluent speaker of Azeri and is a wealth of knowledge on the history and traditions of the Caucasus which he shares during performances.

The following is a partial list of places where Mr. Werbock performed either solo or with his ensemble:

- The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York City (once in the Instrument Gallery, once in the
Middle East and Islamic Gallery, and twice in the Uris Theatre in conjunction with the Society for
Asian Music).
- The American Museum of Natural History. New York City (Once in the Linder Theatre, twice
in the Kaufman Theatre, and many times in the People's Center).
- State University of New York. Potsdam
- City University of New York at 138th Street and Convent Av.
- World Music Institute. New York City (many times)
- Merkin Hall. Lincoln Center for Performing Arts. New York City (four times)
- Symphony Space, New York City (four times)
- School of Visual Arts. New York City
- Haifa Museum of Ethnology, Haifa, Israel
- Basel Academy of Music. Basel. Switzerland (seven times)
- Radio France, Paris, France
- Asia Society. New York City
- Indiana University at Bloomington
- Rutgers University, New Jersey
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Tyler Junior College, Tyler, Texas
- Middle East Institute. Washington. D.C.
- Middle East Studies Association Annual Convention held in Providence, Rhode Island
- Greenburgh Arts and Culture Center. Greenburgh, New York
- Philharmonic Hall. Baku. Azerbaijan
- Baruch College, NYC
- Opera House, Baku, Azerbaijan
- Turkish Cultural Center. NYC
- Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Washington D.C.
- Silk Road Festival. Washington D.C.

www.mugham.org

Official Website: http://www.psalmsalon.com