Haji Husu

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Haji Husu (Hacı Hüsü) was a famous mugham singer from Azerbaijan, born around 1830 in Shusha. His birth name was Husu Niftali oglu Kazimli. He started his education with private lessons from a mullah and then studied at a madrasa. He learned traditional singing from Kharrat Gulu, a well-known Shusha singer.

Haji Husu’s first public performance was singing the Chahargah mode at a charity event at the Khandamirov Theatre, after Sadigjan. He became a popular performer at weddings in the Caucasus and in several Middle Eastern cities. In 1880, the Iranian ruler Naser al-Din Shah Qajar invited him to Tabriz for his son’s wedding, where he sang with famous Iranian singers and received an award from the Shah.

In the 1880s, Haji Husu and Mir Mohsun Navvab founded a musicians’ association in Shusha to discuss mugham. Regular meetings included Mashadi Jamil Amirov, Islam Abdullayev, Seyid Shushinski, and Sadigjan. In 1883 they set up a circle to train young singers. Haji Husu was also a teacher and helped develop mugham, creating new versions, such as Kurdi-Shahnaz by fusing Shahnaz with Kurdi. He is credited by Jabbar Garyaghdioglu as the creator of the Gatar mugham, performed with Sadigjan.

His later years were difficult. After returning from Arabia, he was pressured to recite the call to prayer at the Govhar Agha Mosque in Shusha. Haji Husu died in 1898 in Ashgabat.