Roshel Rubinov: Carrying Jewish Traditions, Old and New, from Central Asia to New York

It’s a tradition that’s both young and old. It can be traced back a little more than a century to its founders, yet it is music that draws together the threads of age-old Central Asian and Jewish culture. It’s called maqom, and its melodies are based on six ancient Persian modes and sung in Bukharian, a dialect of Persian spoken by Central Asian Jews.

One of maqom’s leading performers is Roshel Rubinov, a master on both the tanbur lute and guitar, a composer, poet, and singer who’s revered in the Bukharian Jewish community. On December 9, at 7 pm, he’ll be giving a concert  as part of Live@365: A Global Music Series, presented by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and curated by Isabel Soffer/Live Sounds. The Graduate Center opens its doors to the public each semester, providing opportunities to engage with leading thinkers, writers, scholars, and performers.

Maqom has its roots in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In its songs, words speak as loudly as the musical notes, crossing cultures to trace their way back to the divine love poetry of the Sufis. Yet for all that history, maqom came into being three generations ago. The style’s founders played at the court of the Emir of Bukhara; their grandchildren perform the same music today. The difference: They play the pieces in New York, where many of the musicians now make their home.

In a time when the world seems to be fracturing, maqom, with its past in both Islam and Judaism, is the sound of unity that’s needed more than ever.

“This is a music that speaks to so many people in that part of the world,” Rafael Nektalov, editor-in-chief of The Bukharian Times, the newspaper that caters to the expatriate population in the U.S., told The Jewish Week. “We have Muslim and Jewish musicians playing together; it’s a model for a dialogue between peoples.”

Roshel Rubinov is a performer completely immersed in every facets of maqom. In his native Tajikistan he studied Persian classical music under the masters as well as the form and meter of classical Persian poetry. A virtuoso on the tanbur lute, one of the iconic instruments of the region, as well as guitar, he immigrated to America in 1995.

Since then Rubinov’s reputation has grown. He’s become one of the most in-demand Bukharian Jewish musicians in New York, a vital part of the Bukharian Diaspora. Like jazz or klezmer, every piece is different every time, alive with the possibilities. These days, Rubinov is as famous for his own compositions as he is for interpretations of older pieces. The poetry of his lyrics captures the soaring hope of love and passion, while his melodies move with beauty and eloquent grace.

Quite simply, he’s one of the best in the world, a singer of supple, infinite expression and an instrumentalist whose fingers can send a tune to the skies. And on the occasions he picks up an electric guitar, he plugs the maqom culture directly into 21^st-century America.

Bukharian musicians usually perform for their own community. A performance like this, showcasing the spiritual delights of the maqom to everyone, is a rare event. Accompanied by his frame-drum playing brother, Yakov Rubinov, one of the leading performers on his instrument, renowned Bukharian singer Ilya Khavasov, and dancer Shahlo Khudoyberdiyeva, Roshel Rubinov will offer unique glimpse into a tradition that’s not only alive, but also growing with each year and each generation, illuminated by one of its acknowledged masters.

“We remember our fatherland, our motherland, our culture,” says Nektalov. “We want to connect our culture to American Jews.”

And that is something Roshel Rubinov does. He’s a bridge across geography and time.

About Live@365:

Live@365 is presented by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York to showcase diverse artistic voices from around the globe. Curated by Isabel Soffer/Live Sounds, all Live@365 shows take place at the Graduate Center’s Elebash Recital Hall, an intimate 180-seat space designed with classical recital-hall design and superb, state-of-art sound. Tickets are free to CUNY students.

Live@365 is made possible by the generous support of the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund and the Ford Foundation’s Good Neighbor Committee.

The Graduate Center is located at 365 5th Avenue, between West 34 and West 35th Street. The venue is a short walk from the 6 train at the 33rd Street stop, the B / D / F / M or PATH train at the 34 Street Herald Square stop or the 1 / 2 / 3 trains at 34 Street Penn Station.

Tickets for all Live@365 shows can be purchased by visiting us online at Liveat365.org, by calling Showclix at 1-888-71-TICKETS (1-888-718-4253) or in person (if available), from 6 pm until showtime on the day of show at the venue. Tickets to all shows are $25 or $20 for Graduate Center members, students or faculty. Discount tickets for non-Graduate Center students may be purchased only in person at the event, when available.

For more information about shows, questions about the venue, and to learn more about the entire Live@365 season, please visit us on the web at Liveat365.org.

About the Graduate Center:

As an intellectual and cultural hub in midtown Manhattan, the Graduate Center opens its doors to the public each semester with its GC Presents series, Live@365 music series, and many other events. The Fall 2015 season features Erica Jong, Fareed Zakaria, Reem Acra, David Remnick, Joy-Ann Reid, Paul Krugman, and many others, offering timely discussions, diverse cultural perspectives, and thought-provoking ideas. The central premise that knowledge is a public good underlies the research, teaching, and public events of the principal doctorate-granting institution of the City University of New York. For more information about the Graduate Center and its events, please visit www.gc.cuny.edu/publicprograms.