Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

On the eve of the birthday of the honored art figure of Azerbaijan, the famous jazz composer and pianist Vagif Mustafazadeh, the International Mugham Center hosted a concert dedicated to his memory.

Children’s Arts School No. 2 named after Vagif Mustafazadeh gave a concert in honor of great jazzman on March 15.

Among the guests were famous jazzmen and musicians Javan Zeynalli, Akif Suleymanbeyli and others.

At the evening it was stressed that Vagif Mustafazadeh conquered listeners with his uniqueness and virtuosic technique.

The performance of young talents was greeted with a standing ovation.

Mustafazadeh is the founder of Azerbaijani jazz mugham movement that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s in Baku, as a result of the mixture of these two styles.

Throughout years, he wrote numerous jazz compositions, including fugues, preludes, ballads and scherzos, many of them written in the 1970s. He released a total of eight albums, all with different line-ups, mood and style.

By the beginning of 1960s, Vagif was gaining recognition outside of Azerbaijan.

Winner of numerous jazz festivals such as "Tallinn-66", "Tallinn-67", Baku festival "Jazz 69", Donetsk 1977 festival, and "Tbilisi-78", Vagif Mustafazadeh always fascinated listeners with his originality and virtuosity.

Musician’s death was a shock to many people. He was only 39 years old when he died on stage while performing in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) in 1979.

Jazz schools around the world have recognized Vagif Mustafazadeh as a phenomenal musician. His works represent a unique combination of eastern and western schools, of tradition and innovation.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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