“I haven't admonished Alim for a long time. When he was young, he listened to my advice. Then he became a People's Artist, gained fame, so I don't say anything.”
These words were stated by the khananda, ghazal singer Aghakarim Nafiz in an interview with APA.
He stated that Alim Gasimov came to him as a student after graduating from the institute:
“Let me also say that there is a specific way to sit when performing mugham. For example, Alim does not sit correctly because I haven't taught him this. I deliberately didn't teach him because he had already started learning such things from others. He doesn't sit straight there. A Caucasian khananda would not sit like that. That is the sitting posture of Iranians. It belongs to sedentary peoples, whereas we are nomadic. We should sit on our knees,” A. Nafiz said.
Modern.az contacted People's Artist, khananda Alim Gasimov to ascertain his opinion on these views.
“Aghakarim Nafiz is my friend, my brother, my soul, my liver, our master. I would never, not even in my dreams, imagine him saying anything about me. But whatever he has said, whether good or bad, it is welcome, and I agree with his statements. Because every opinion expressed by Agha Karim is acceptable to me. Frankly, I don't even know what opinion he voiced, but whatever he said, I agree,” A. Gasimov said.
Alim Gasimov responded to Aghakarim Nafiz's views on the khananda's sitting posture as follows:
“In response to this, I want to say, tell Aghakarim: where did people sit when there were no chairs? We all sat on the ground. At that time, tables were set on the ground, and food was eaten on the ground. The concept of a chair emerged later. You are young, you might not know this, but we have seen those times.”
The khananda also stated that he is still learning from elders, youngsters, and master artists:
“May Allah have mercy on all those who have passed away. There is no point in this art where one can say 'I have finished.' Art is a lifelong journey. Therefore, whatever Aghakarim says, may it be welcome,” A. Gasimov noted.
