The Voice of Azerbaijan: Experiencing Recordings of Hajibaba Huseynov and post-Soviet Muslim Musical Identities

Singer and poet Hajibaba Huseynov (1919–1993), revered by some as the “voice of Azerbaijan” is one of the most popular stars featured in recordings of classical devotional ghazal poetry. Curiously enough, video or audio recordings of his recitations seem to be especially moving, often becoming the focal point for audiences of musicians and poets at public live performances, private meetings, lessons, and virtual contexts. While fans of the ghazal genre are found at every turn, I limit my analysis to the subculture of poets, musicians, experts, and especially ardent fans of traditional Azerbaijani arts. Relying on ethnographic data gathered in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku and surrounding suburban villages, I explore the affective responses of this subculture’s participants, focusing on hermeneutics and the sensation of movement induced by the recordings of Hajibaba’s recitations. Participants are transported spatially across borders to Iran and the wider East, as well as temporally to an idealized past and its venues in which pure forms of traditional arts were maintained. In both cases, sounds featured in the media contribute to the sensation of movement and I explore how they are experienced to make social and political realities.