Murad Sadykov and VIE (vocal-[music] instrumental-ensemble)”Gunesh”: from history of Turkmen ethno-jazz

Famous Turkmen musician, vocalist, poet, founder and art director of the popular musical group “Gunesh” Murad Sadykov could mark this year his 85th anniversary if he had not passed away in 2013, having left about himself a bright memory as a talented actor and real intellectual.

Murad Sadykov was born in Ashkhabad on September 3, 1936 in the family of a school teacher and already at his five remained without his father. He early started to sing at six he performed in front of wounded soldiers in the Leningrad hospitals evacuated to Ashkhabad.

The song was with him in the children’s home where he spent two years as mother had nothing to feed children, and during study at school and Turkmen state agricultural institute named after M.I.Kalinin (nowadays Turkmen agricultural university), from which Murad Sadykov graduated in 1960, having received a specialty of engineer-hydro technician .

At the institute the young student sang in the student’s amateur performance and was the participant of the World festival of youth and students in Moscow in 1957. And having started to work as a speciality at the project institute, he entered the vocal class of the evening department of Turkmen state musical school named after D.Ovezov.

In 1964 Murad Sadykov started to work in the State Committee of Ministerial Council of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic for Broadcasting and Television as a soloist- vocalist.In three years the destiny presented to the singer with a beautiful voice chance known to become far outside of the country.

After performance at EXPO-67 in Ottawa and Toronto, the Canadian studio recording and the concert impresario offered to him the contract on record and annual tour, however the Soviet management sent refusal.

But the bright talent and fidelity to his recognition all the same brought the Turkmen singer to the international orbit. The all-Union glory to Murad Sadykov, who perfectly sang not only in his native language, but also in Russian, was brought by performances on the largest concert platforms of Moscow and Leningrad.

He performed time and again in the Columned Hall of the House of the Unions, and in the Palace of Congress, at the Variety Theatre and even in the Bolshoi Theatre.

His concerts were broadcast by the central and Leningrad television.He was applauded also by public in Bulgaria, Poland, Mongolia, Vietnam and Laos, Senegal, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau and other countries.

The government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam awarded him the Order of Friendship and the title of honoured citizen of Ho Chi Minh.

Murad Sadykov to whom the honorary titles of the honoured artist of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was given (1973) and the national actor of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (1982), was also a member of the All-Union musical society, and since 1989 a member of its Presidium.

He was awarded by the honourable medal of the Soviet Fund of Peace for his active participation in the Fund’s work.

However, Murad Sadykov’s name received a wide popularity not only as the vocalist, but also as founder of the group “Gunesh” (Solar), based by the maestro in Ashkhabad in 1970. He created the group name in which himself was the first soloist.

Gunesh became one of the popular groups which to the beginning of 1970 were created in many union republics, having made a worthy competition to such famous ensembles, as Singing guitars (Leningrad), “Pesniary” (Minsk), “Flowers” (Moscow), Cheerful children (Moscow), “Iveria” (Tbilisi), “Yalla” (Tashkent) and others.

Initially “Gunesh” represented the vocal instrumental ensemble typical for those times focused on performance of Turkmen national songs, works of Turkmen and Soviet composers. Then the group repertoire was added by jazz compositions, and musical style “Gunesh” began to define as a jazz fusion, an ethno-jazz and progressive rock.

In 1972 Murad Sadykov could get from the State Television of TSSR allocation of considerable money resources for acquisition abroad the professional sound equipment and musical instruments that allowed to raise the quality of sounding and to equip own rehearsal base.

The possibility for the creative growth and rather high salaries of musicians involved talented performers not only from Turkmenistan, but also from other republics in “Gunesh”.In total in “Gunesh” several tens of musicians at various times acted among them there were such virtuosos, as Ashkhabad resident Rishad Shafiev who admired public with his ability to play simultaneously a number of percussive instruments.

Gunesh actively gave concerts from 1970 to 1986 and till now remains the most famous and recognised musical ensemble from Turkmenistan. Musicians of Turkmen VIE acted on one stage with such famous groups, as “Mashina Vremeni”, “Autograph” and many other famous musicians.

The peak of popularity of group “Gunesh” was observed in 1976-1986. The group most advantageously went on tour worldwide; musicians visited the Eastern Europe, Africa and the countries of Asia.

Gunesh won at the Polish competition Zielona Góra in 1978, the group acted also at the contest Golden Orpheus.The collective became the winner in Moscow in 1977 in the competition of the best performers of the Soviet song, and also the winner of the festival Spring rhythms (Tbilisi, 1980), All-Union competition of pop music and song (Yerevan, 1981), the international competition Voice of Asia (Alma-Ata, 1988).

Group “Gunesh “, including for musical collections, let out by various circulations about 20 phonograph records, including two disks-giants which were recorded in the all-Union recording firm “Melody”.

In 1982 of “Gunesh” was granted with the honorary title Honoured art group of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic.

In the mid-eighties the founder and long-term head of “Gunesh” Murad Sadykov stopped his cooperation with the group, and soon after that history of this uncommon musical collective, not including separate nostalgic performances, it is possible to tell, came to the end.