BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Wedding ceremonies in the mountainous Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan traditionally are accompanied by folk songs and, increasingly, Russian pop music — but these days revelers might be treated to the once-forbidden sounds of a live jazz band.
“We are getting invitations to play at wedding parties, and it is very exciting,” says Bakyt Kydykbaev, who plays drums in the Bishkek jazz outfit Salt Peanuts. “Isn’t it great that people want to listen to jazz at traditional wedding ceremonies?”
