Ferus Mustafov

King Ferus Mustafov was a major star in his homeland of Macedonia, where sales of his albums averaged more than 100,000 copies. A highly skilled instrumentalist and master improviser, he helped to turn the gypsy wedding music of Macedonia into an international phenomenon. A native of Sutka, a gypsy suburb of the capital city of Skopje, Mustafov inherited his understanding of music from his father, Ilimi Jasarov, who is credited with introducing the saxophone to Macedonian wedding music. After building a six-track recording studio in his bedroom in the late '80s, Mustafov produced recordings by such Macedonian gypsy performers as Kurtis Jasarov, Medo Cun, and Demir Agusev. Many of these recordings were featured on the album Ferus Mustafov and His Guests: 1 + 4. Mustafov's own album, Macedonian Wedding Soul Cooking, released in 1995, was produced by Hijaz Mustapha of 3 Mustaphas 3. King Ferus Mustafov died on May 22, 2023, after a brief illness; he was 72 years of age. ~ Craig Harris