Uzbek classical music is called shashmaqam, which arose in Bukhara in the late 16th century when that city was a regional capital. Shashmaqam is closely related to Azeri mugam and Uighurmuqam. The name, which translates as six maqams refers to the structure of the music, which contains six sections in diverrent musical modes, similar to classical Persian music. Interludes of spoken Sufi poetry interrupt the music, typically beginning at a low register and gradually ascending to a climax before calming back down to the beginning tone.
Broughton, Simon and Sultanova, Razia. "Bards of the Golden Road". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 24-31. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
The importance of promulgating Uzbek language as a part of Uzbek nationalism and the shift away from Russian as the lingua franca is certainly evident in Nazarkhan's oeuvre.
I believe in the world music arena as well as in Uzbekistan, Nazarkhan is creating a sonic space for modernity and tradition to exist simultaneously and she is certainly doing it by injecting her music with what could be considered “Western” sonic elements.
In terms of the world music scene, she is able to combine both traditional songs and modern electronic music, mixed in at a European studio.
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