86 years since the birth of Vagif Mustafazadeh - the pianist who changed the history of jazz

Outstanding Azerbaijani jazz composer and pianist Vagif Mustafazadeh would have turned 86 today. He was the first to combine jazz and mugham, becoming the founder of a new genre.

As reported by BAKU.WS, V. Mustafazadeh was born on March 16, 1940, in Baku.

After the death of his father, the future composer was raised by his mother, who taught Azerbaijani folk music.

In 1957, Vagif Mustafazadeh enrolled in the Baku Music School named after A. Zeynally.

In 1972, the talented composer wrote his most famous piece "Farewell" (Əlvida), which became a hit in Azerbaijan and brought him international fame.

Mustafazadeh created various ensembles, the first of which was the jazz trio "Caucasus" at the State Philharmonic of Georgia. In Baku, he founded the vocal-instrumental ensembles "Leyli" (1970), "Sevil" (1971), and "Mugham" (1977).

Vagif Mustafazadeh was a laureate of the "Tallinn-66" and "Tallinn-67" festivals, the Baku "Jazz-69" festival, the All-Union Jazz Festival in Donetsk in 1977, and the "Tbilisi-78" jazz festival, which earned him the title of "best pianist." It was also there that the musician's eight-year-old daughter Aziza Mustafazadeh made her stage debut, immediately becoming a laureate of the festival.

In 1979, at the International Jazz Composition Competition in Monaco, he won the First Prize and the award — a white grand piano.

Vagif Mustafazadeh captivated audiences with his originality, virtuoso technique, and distinctive harmonic language.

The author of numerous original jazz compositions and arrangements, Mustafazadeh also wrote symphonic and chamber music. His concerto for piano and symphony orchestra was received with great success at the Union of Composers of the Azerbaijan SSR, where the musician demonstrated his enormous capabilities in this direction as well. He also composed numerous chamber piano pieces.

Vagif Mustafazadeh was the first to incorporate Azerbaijani flavor, including mugham, into jazz. In 1979, he was awarded the title of "Honored Artist of Azerbaijan," and in 1982, posthumously, the State Prize of Azerbaijan.

V. Mustafazadeh died of a heart attack on December 16, 1979, in Tashkent, on stage, while performing the composition "Waiting for Aziza." He was 39 years old.

The musician's wife, Elza Mustafazadeh, was the first professional jazz-mugham performer in Azerbaijan.

His younger daughter Aziza Mustafazadeh is a renowned jazz performer and composer.