Queen of Jazz marks her birthday
By Laman Ismayilova
World-famous Azerbaijani jazz singer Aziza Mustafazadeh has undoubtedly found a way to the hearts of music lovers around the world.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the world-famous jazz singer, a daughter of legendary jazzman Vagif Mustafazadeh.
After spectacular concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall, she was named "The Queen of Jazz".
In her works, the jazz singer brilliantly unites classical and jazz music with Azerbaijani folk motifs.
She successfully performs at the best world stages. Aziza is a frequent guest of international music festivals. Aziza has performed with such world-class musicians as John Patitucci, Dave Wakele, Bill Evans, Omar Hakim, Toots Tillemans and others.
The names of Vagif and Aziza Mustafazadeh are included in the World Jazz Encyclopedia edited by US authors, as well as in the literary revision of Vladimir Feertag in the Russian edition.
But most importantly, she still feels the spirit of her father nearby ...
"Despite the fact that many years have passed since the death of my father, he is always with me. No matter where I am, he stands beside me. On the one hand, I am terribly sad to realize his physical absence. But on the other hand, I know that my father helps me from heaven. I still feel his energy around me," the singer said.
Aziza's parents first noticed their daughter's sensitivity to music when she was eight months old.
Aziza recalls the story that her mother told her: "Once, my father was improvising at the piano playing in the mugam mode known as Shur, which creates a mood that evokes very deep, sad emotions. As my father was playing, I started crying. Everyone wondered what was happening to me..." said jazz singer.
Her mother Elza Mustafazadeh asked her father to play "Rast" mugham. At that moment, future jazz diva started dancing. And then her mother realized a unique connection between Aziza's feelings and music.
At the age of three, she made her stage debut with her father, improvising vocals. She began studying classical piano at an early age, showing special interest in the works of such composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin.
In 1991, Aziza released her debut album, "Aziza Mustafa Zadeh". The music album showed influence of Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, as well as Near Eastern music.
Her second album, "Always", won the Phono Academy Prize, a prestigious German music award, and the Echo Prize from Sony.
She has since performed in many countries and released several more albums, the most recent being "Contrasts" II, released in 2007.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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