Vagif Mustafazadeh

Vagif Mustafazadeh was a Soviet Azeri jazz pianist and composer, famous for fusing jazz and traditional Azeri folk music known as mugam. Azerbaijan fell under control of the Soviets in 1920, 20 years before Vagif was born.

 Five years after his birth and after World War II, Stalin said that jazz was "the music of capitalists" and had it banned throughout the entire Soviet Union. (Adolf Hitler had done the same in Germany in 1933, stating that it was "the music of the blacks".)

 Even music played on the saxophone was outlawed. The young Vagif, however, apparently cared little for the Soviets and their bans. As a child, he would listen to jazz on “BBC” broadcasts and sing Meykhana rhythmic poetry, which had also been banned, with friends. After listening on the radio, he and his friend Vagif Samadoglu would attempt to recreate the music on the piano. After Stalin's death in 1953, the ban on Jazz was gradually lifted. Gradually, however, is a key word. Even in 1957, Vagif was unable to play jazz compositions in concert.

 As such, he resorted to playing privately for friends or in clubs. He had an intense passion for improvisational jazz, but found something lacking. Eventually, he began to fuse jazz with traditional Azeri music-“Mugam”.
Vagif Mustafazadeh was born on March 16, 1940 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan SSR. Vagif's name was chosen by the renowned poet, Samed Vurgun, on the request of his mother. Vagif is an Arabic word that means "Extremely Knowledgeable".

 He started to play piano in his age of three. In 1963 he graduated from Baku State Musical Technicum named after Asef Zeynally and a year later accepted to Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. In the year of 1965 he quit the conservatoire and went to Tbilisi to lead the "Orero" musical ensemble.

 Later he created the "Qafqaz" (Azerbaijani for Caucasus) jazz trio at Georgian State Philarmony. In 1970 the "Leyli" women's quartet and in 1971 "Sevil" vocal-instrumental ensemble were assembled by him. Until 1977 he guided the groups. 

Between 1977-1979 until his death he led the "Mugam" instrumental ensemble which was also organized by him. Vagif attended "Tallin-1966" all Soviet Union Jazz Festival and "Jazz-1969" Azerbaijani jazz festivals and was awarded as laureate there. Vagif Mustafazadeh was also elected as laureate at Donetsk all Soviet Union Jazz Festival held in 1977. He was elected as the best pianist in "Tbilisi-1978".

 He won the first prize at the 8th International Competition of Jazz Composers for his composition "Waiting for Aziza" in Monaco in 1978 and awarded with white grand piano. Vagif Mustafazadeh is assigned Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan SSR and after his death Azerbaijani State Prize.