Shashmaqam
Jewish Bukharan music from Central Asia

Friday, Septmeber 7 :30pm
Temple Emanuel Greene Street Campus

The small minority Jewish population of Central Asia, known collectively as Bukharan Jews, was instrumental in the development and preservation of musical life in Bukhara, Samarqand, Tashkent, Dushanbe, and other multicultural cities of the region. In the wake of the
Soviet Union’s collapse, the Bukharan Jewish
population emigrated en masse to the United States, Israel, and Europe, and many of the top musicians carved out new lives in New York City.  The vibrantly colorful ensemble Shashmaqam was the first and one of the most prominent performing groups to emerge among the New York Bukharan Jewish immigrant community. The ensemble specializes in the classical and folk music of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, as well as the liturgical repertoire of Bukharan Jews.