Alim Qasimov - Azerbaijani / Azeri Mugam in Chicago - part 4

Alim Gasimov&(1957) career as a mugam singer nearly ended at age 14. He&never forget the humiliation he felt while competing in a local music contest; when he started singing what he figured was mugam, the audience started laughing at him. Alim stepped down from the stage with tears in his eyes. Fortunately, he didn&give up on mugam. Twenty-eight years later, in 1999, Alim won the prestigious UNESCO Music Prize, one of the highest international accolades that a musician can hope for. Previous laureates have included Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Ravi Shankar and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. www.Azer.Name Azerbaijani Community in Chicago