Ochilxon Otaxonov

Ochilxon Otaxonov was a hafiz, a performer of classical ghazals and maqom. He was born into a peasant family in the village of Naynavo, Shahrixon district, Andijan region. In the 1940s his family moved to the village of Shoʻralisoy in the Yangiyoʻl district of the Tashkent region, where he worked with his father on a collective farm.

At 13–14 he learned songs by listening to gramophone records of Jo'raxon Sultanov and Ma'murjon Uzoqov. The farm's chairman Hamroqul Tursunqulov noticed his talent and enrolled him in the amateur arts circle, where Jalil Maxsum taught him dutar and singing; he learned vocal technique from his uncles Eshonboboxon, Ko'kxon and Afandixon.

From 1959 he worked at the Yangiyoʻl theatre, and from 1978 to 1986 with the Yunus Rajabi “Maqom” ensemble. He sang ghazals by Navoiy, Fuzuliy, Bobur, Ogahiy, Furqat, Muqimiy, Zavqiy, Habibiy, Charxiy and Haziniy to classical melodies, and created tunes for Navoiy's ghazals (“Sayqal”, “Talqin Bayot”, “Sarahbori oromijon”, “Talqinchai mustahzodi navo”). His performances of ghazals by Bobur (“Topmadim”), Muqimiy (“Kim desun”), Mashrab (“Jonima rohat”) and Haziniy (“Farg'ona tong otguncha”, “Qalandar”) are held in the “Golden Fund” of Uzbek TV and radio.

His repertoire covered Shashmaqom sections, Fergana–Tashkent maqom routes, classical songs and works by modern composers; he also performed songs on poems by Vosit Sa'dulla, Habibiy, Akmal Po'lat and Ma'ruf Qoriyev. In 1992 he was awarded the title People's Hafiz of Uzbekistan.