Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

A presentation of Jazz Fans Public Association led by Nuri Akhmadov has been held in Baku.

The main goal of Jazz Fans is to enlighten public about jazz music and to contribute to the further development of jazz culture in Azerbaijan, Trend Life reported.

The Public Association intends to become a platform uniting jazz lovers and connoisseurs, performers, theorists, researchers, and media representatives.

The Association’s council will include researchers, organizers, consultants, as well as club leaders formed by the type of activity and professional data of the association’s members, which are divided into three categories: Club of professionals and consultants, Club of performers and Fan club. It is planned to conduct research, organize various courses and seminars, competitions, festivals, conferences, meetings, exhibitions and master classes as part of The Public Association.

The chief editor of www.jazz.az, a musicologist, Ph.D. in art history, a jazz researcher Turan Mammadaliyeva presented an updated version of the site.

Among the guests of the festive evening were the Minister of Culture Abulfas Garayev, rector of the Baku Music Academy, pianist Farhad Badalbeyli, rector of the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, People's artist of Azerbaijan, composer Siyavush Karimi, representatives of culture and art, creative intelligentsia and youth.

The evening was hosted by TV and radio presenter, a jazz connoisseur, and honored cultural worker Rahib Azeri.

The guests were amazed with a fantastic concert program that gathered incredibly talented musicians Honored Artists Tofig Jabbarov, Vagif Aliyev, Ruslan Huseynov, Isfar Sarabski, jazz singer Hajiyeva, pianists Afgan Rasulov, Elbey Mammadzade, young performers Timur Bulatov, Nijat Aslanov, DiHaj band, RAST group and others.

At the evening, rich and varied traditions of jazz in Azerbaijan were highlighted.

The history of Azerbaijani jazz dates back to the 1930s. The revival of jazz in the Land of Fire started thanks to the active efforts of great national composers Gara Garayev and Tofig Guliyev.

The first jazz orchestra in Baku in 1938 was created by them. This orchestra, called the State Pop Symphony Orchestra, became the basis of Azerbaijani jazz.

Jazz started flourishing in Azerbaijan in the 1960s, when musicians such as Vagif Mustafazade, Tofig Akhmadov, Rafig Babayev and the Gaya quartet elevated this musical style to a higher level. Azerbaijani jazz is also associated with Vagif Mustafazade, who experimented creating unrepeatable compositions, becoming the founder of a new jazz trend jazz-mugham. This unique genre assembles both a traditional Azerbaijani music and a classic American jazz.

Today, Azerbaijani jazz performers are winners of many international jazz festivals and competitions. Various events and concerts are held annually with the participation of world celebrities.

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

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