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Laman Ismayilova

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Gaya State Ensemble has delighted jazz lovers with a magnificent concert at the International Mugham Centre, Azernews reports. The concert was organised by Baku Music Academy with the support of ADA University and the Culture Ministry as part of the Baku International Jazz Days.

Speaking at the event, director of the Gaya State Ensemble Turan Mamedaliyeva briefed the audience about the history of jazz in the country and the program dedicated to International Jazz Day.

The concert program "Jazz Improvisations" began with the performance of a fantasy (musical composition with roots in improvisation) on the themes of Uzeyir Hajibayli's musical comedy "The Cloth Peddler", which was addressed by many jazz performers and groups in Azerbaijan.

Back in the 1970s, the Gaya Quartet, based on Uzeyir Hajibayli's musical comedies, staged theatrical sketches of a jazz-pop improvisational nature.

Since 2015, the director of the Gaya State Ensemble, People's Artist Rauf Babayev, has begun work on the project "The Cloth Peddler".

Having conceived this project in the form of a musical, he himself worked on the choral and vocal numbers, and entrusted the arrangement of the instrumental numbers to the ensemble member, composer and arranger Nazim Ahmadov. Unfortunately, the presentation of the project was postponed due to the pandemic and the death of Rauf Babayev and took place several years later - in January 2024.

Melodies performed in jazz and pop style, including Asgar's aria, Gulchohra's arietta, girls' choirs, the duet of Vali and Telli, and the duet of Asgar and Suleyman, aroused special delight among the listeners.

The audience was also presented with a cappella performances and to the accompaniment of compositions based on famous jazz and pop standards.

Among them are the duet "It had to be you" (Gunay Akhmedova and Jahangir Parishani), works performed a capella "İllər ötsə də", "In the style of Bach", "Autumn Leaves" by V. Kosma, "Night in Tunisia" by D. Gillespie, "Don't mean a thing" by D. Ellington, and other compositions, earning enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.

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

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