Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Spectacular jazz evening has been held at Heydar Aliyev Palace in Baku.

The concert "Just Jazz" brought together Honored Artist Shahriyar Imanov (tar), Shur Trio, Coffee Band and talented musicians Suada Hajizade, Nijat Aslanov, Laman Abbaszade, Tural Rafael, Narmin Mammadli and Ayten Orujaliyeva.

The musicians and performers dazzled the audience with their thrilling jazz improvisations. They brilliantly mixed old and new, cozy atmosphere and swinging joy.

The history of Azerbaijani jazz dates back to the 1930s. There are certain musicians that played a major role in the development of jazz music in Azerbaijan.

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 was created by them. This orchestra, called the State Pop Symphony Orchestra, became the basis of Azerbaijani jazz.

The foundation of Azerbaijani jazz is associated with the name of the legendary musician Vagif Mustafazadeh. He was one of the founders of the new music trend called "jazz mugham".

The style reached its full fame in the 1950s and 1960s under the influence of composer Rafig Babayev and his Gaya Quartet. Dizzy Gillespie, the legendary American jazz trumpeter, reportedly lauded Mustafazadeh for creating "the music of the future".

Nowadays, Azerbaijan sees growth in the number of talented jazz artists, including Aziza Mustafazade, Isfar Sarabski, Salman Gambarov, Nurlan Novrasli, Rain Sultanov and others. National jazzmen successfully perform at international music events.

In addition, numerous jazz festivals are held across the country bringing together internationally acclaimed jazz musicians from all parts of the Earth.

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

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