Today is the birthday of Vagif Mustafazadeh, the founder of jazz-mugham

The outstanding Azerbaijani jazz composer and pianist Vagif Mustafazadeh would have turned 85 today. He was the first to combine jazz and mugham, becoming the founder of a new genre.

V. Mustafazadeh was born on March 16, 1940, in Baku.

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

In 1957, Vagif Mustafazadeh entered the Asaf Zeynally Baku Music School.

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

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 festivals "Tallinn-66", "Tallinn-67", the Baku festival "Jazz-69", 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 here that the musician's eight-year-old daughter Aziza Mustafazadeh made her stage debut, immediately becoming a festival laureate.

In 1979, he won first prize and a white grand piano at the International Jazz Composition Competition in Monaco.

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. The Composers Union of the Azerbaijan SSR greatly acclaimed his concerto for piano and symphony orchestra, where the musician demonstrated his enormous capabilities in this direction as well. He also composed many chamber piano pieces.

Vagif Mustafazadeh was the first to use Azerbaijani color in jazz, including mugham. In 1979, he was awarded the title "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 Azerbaijan's first professional performer in the jazz-mugham style.

His younger daughter, Aziza Mustafazadeh, is a well-known jazz performer and composer.