Enver Izmailov

Enver Izmailov is an extraordinary “two-handed” virtuoso guitarist and composer, specialized in the guitar tapping technique. His music crosses boundaries, venturing into jazz, rock and world music. Of Ukrainian Tatar origin, he was born June 12, 1955, in Uzbekistan and now lives in Crimea, Ukraine.

Enver Izmailov projects

After graduating in bassoon from the music school in Fergana in 1973, Enver Izmailov actively participated in rock and jazz projects. In 1990 he graduated from Tashkent University, in the specialty of “conductor of folk music orchestras” and during the period of 1990-2000 he took part in music festivals and toured around the USA and numerous European countries. He participated in joint CD-recordings together with foreign musicians and appeared on the same stage with some of the most famous jazz guitar players, such as John McLaughlin, John Scofield, Stanley Jordan. He was the first-price-winner of the First European International Guitarist Competition which was held in Lausanne Switzerland in 1995.

Enver Izmailov style

In his compositions Enver Izmailov uses elements from Indian and Balkan folk music, using difficult rhythms: 7/8, 5/8, 9/16, 11/16, 13/16, etc. The technique he uses is called “tapping’ or “two-handed-tapping”. He had begun using this technique several years before Stanley Jordan’s tapping album was released. So at the moment there are two schools of tapping – Jordan’s (also called “jazz tapping”) and his (also referred to as “eastern tapping”). These two styles of tapping are different. There is a trick he uses sometimes – playing two instruments with different pitches at the same time.

In addition to solo performances he has taken part in duets, trios, quartets.

Enver Izmailov has released ten albums in Finland, Russia, Germany, Moldova and Switzerland and one with the “Minaret” trio in Ukraine.