The State Popular
Orchestra, also known as State Jazz, laid the foundations of jazz
in Soviet Azerbaijan. Set up in 1938 by musicians Tofig Guliyev and
Niyazi, State Jazz consisted of a trombone, five saxophones, three
trumpets, a grand piano, a guitar and percussion instruments. State
Jazz played both classic jazz and improvisations on mugam, traditional
Azerbaijani modal music.  Saxophonist
Parviz Rustambayov improvised on a Chahargah mugam theme at State
Jazz’s first concert. These Azerbaijani musical geniuses had one aim
- to establish a national jazz school. After the end of the Second
World War, Rauf Hajibayov was managing State Jazz but in the 1950-60s,
the USSR propaganda machine dealt a great blow to the development
of jazz music in Azerbaijan. The Soviet authorities dubbed jazz a
seditious western music and banned jazz performances. Despite the
prohibitions, jazz fans gathered in secret to listen to western radio
stations and afterwards tried to play what they had heard. In the
late 1960s, jazz music began its second life in Azerbaijan under the
guidance and support of Gara Garayev, Niyazi, Tofig Guliyev and Rauf
Hajiyev. This was the era of Gaya, Rafig Babayev's jazz  quartet,
and later, that of Vagif Mustafazade. Gara Garayev, a very gifted
classical composer, also wrote in the jazz genre.His musical The Bold
Young Man of Gascony and his 1938 Three Nocturnes and Prelude No 28
are real pieces of jazz. One of the best performers of these pieces
was undoubtedly Vagif Mustafazade. Improvisation on a theme forms
the basis of Azerbaijani folk mugam. Every performer is unique because
of his own improvisation. It is this freeimprovisation that is the
most important link between jazz and mugam. The synthesis of the easternelements
of mugam with western jazz music meantthat jazz could conquer the
oriental world too. Vagif Mustafazade was the first exponent of jazz
mugam, at the end of the 1960s. Naturally, before Mustafazade, many
musicians had sensed the similarity of these two genres and created
many compositions on this basis. But Vagif Mustafazade was the first
musician to bring oriental mugam to the western listener in a language
that the latter could understand, i.e. the language of jazz.  And
vice versa: Vagif Mustafazade explained jazz to the Azerbaijani listener
in the language of our native mugam. This pianist, who for years mastered
the subtleties of both genres, thereby gaining the admiration and
respect west's kings, brought Azerbaijani mugam to world attention.
The famous jazz critic, American Willis Conover, said: "Vagif
Mustafazade is a superb performer. He is the finest lyrical pianist
that I have ever listened to."
In 1969, at the request and insistence of Rauf Hajiyev, Vagif returned
from Tbilisi to Baku. He worked at the Azerbaijani State Popular Orchestra
and in parallel established a jazz trio. At the same time another
of our musicians, Rafig Babayev, was working in the sphere of vocal
jazz while the Gaya vocal quartet arranged and performed folk songs.
Both Vagif Mustafazade and Rafig Babayev died premature deaths. Vagif
 Mustafazade
passed away in 1979 from a heart attack while Rafig Babayev died in
1995 in a terrible fire on the Baku underground. Great jazz appears
to require great sacrifices. I believe that Azerbaijani society is
still in debt to these two musicians of genius. Their musical style,
musical thinking and manner of performance were not fully understood
in their own lifetimes. The events of the late 1980s and 1990s put
their negative stamp on the development of our music and culture as
a whole. The Soviet Union collapsed in turmoil and Azerbaijan was
at war with its neighbour Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
However, the national jazz school founded byTofig Guliyev, Niyazi,
Gara Garayev, Rauf Hajiyev and Tofig Ahmadov is still living and developing.
Nowadays, Azerbaijan's new jazz generation are already developing
various directions of mugam jazz throughout the world. Aziza Mustafazade,
a pupil of our national jazz school and the daughter of Vagif Mustafazade,
has been popularizing Azerbaijani jazz on a high level all over the
world for many years. |
Saxophonist
Parviz Rustambayov improvised on a Chahargah mugam theme at State
Jazz’s first concert. These Azerbaijani musical geniuses had one aim
- to establish a national jazz school. After the end of the Second
World War, Rauf Hajibayov was managing State Jazz but in the 1950-60s,
the USSR propaganda machine dealt a great blow to the development
of jazz music in Azerbaijan. The Soviet authorities dubbed jazz a
seditious western music and banned jazz performances. Despite the
prohibitions, jazz fans gathered in secret to listen to western radio
stations and afterwards tried to play what they had heard. In the
late 1960s, jazz music began its second life in Azerbaijan under the
guidance and support of Gara Garayev, Niyazi, Tofig Guliyev and Rauf
Hajiyev. This was the era of Gaya, Rafig Babayev's jazz 
quartet,
and later, that of Vagif Mustafazade. Gara Garayev, a very gifted
classical composer, also wrote in the jazz genre.His musical The Bold
Young Man of Gascony and his 1938 Three Nocturnes and Prelude No 28
are real pieces of jazz. One of the best performers of these pieces
was undoubtedly Vagif Mustafazade. Improvisation on a theme forms
the basis of Azerbaijani folk mugam. Every performer is unique because
of his own improvisation. It is this freeimprovisation that is the
most important link between jazz and mugam. The synthesis of the easternelements
of mugam with western jazz music meantthat jazz could conquer the
oriental world too. Vagif Mustafazade was the first exponent of jazz
mugam, at the end of the 1960s. Naturally, before Mustafazade, many
musicians had sensed the similarity of these two genres and created
many compositions on this basis. But Vagif Mustafazade was the first
musician to bring oriental mugam to the western listener in a language
that the latter could understand, i.e. the language of jazz. 
And
vice versa: Vagif Mustafazade explained jazz to the Azerbaijani listener
in the language of our native mugam. This pianist, who for years mastered
the subtleties of both genres, thereby gaining the admiration and
respect west's kings, brought Azerbaijani mugam to world attention.
The famous jazz critic, American Willis Conover, said: "Vagif
Mustafazade is a superb performer. He is the finest lyrical pianist
that I have ever listened to."
Mustafazade
passed away in 1979 from a heart attack while Rafig Babayev died in
1995 in a terrible fire on the Baku underground. Great jazz appears
to require great sacrifices. I believe that Azerbaijani society is
still in debt to these two musicians of genius. Their musical style,
musical thinking and manner of performance were not fully understood
in their own lifetimes. The events of the late 1980s and 1990s put
their negative stamp on the development of our music and culture as
a whole. The Soviet Union collapsed in turmoil and Azerbaijan was
at war with its neighbour Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
However, the national jazz school founded byTofig Guliyev, Niyazi,
Gara Garayev, Rauf Hajiyev and Tofig Ahmadov is still living and developing.
Nowadays, Azerbaijan's new jazz generation are already developing
various directions of mugam jazz throughout the world. Aziza Mustafazade,
a pupil of our national jazz school and the daughter of Vagif Mustafazade,
has been popularizing Azerbaijani jazz on a high level all over the
world for many years.
