AUTUMN IN THE STYLE OF JAZZ

October's most striking music event was the 2nd International Jazz Festival, which brought together artists of world renown.

This year the festival was visited by such well-known bands as Matt Bianco, Jazzamor and Shakatak, musicians like Al Di Meola, Keiko Matsui, Dianne Reeves, Monty Alexander, Eric Vloemans, Isfar Sarabski, Emil Ibrahim, L'Image under the leadership of Mike Mainieri and others. This great festival for all fans and lovers of jazz was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Azerbaijani Culture Foundation and Sweet Production.

The first festival was held in Baku in 2005 and aroused great interest among the capital's residents and guests. The festival was striking for the internationalism of its participants and level of the bands: it was attended by both experienced and relatively young jazz musicians from Russia, Germany, France, Turkey, the USA, Georgia, Canada and other countries. Suffice to say that the main guest of the festival was the famous Joe Zawinul & Syndicate, who closed the official programme. During its existence, the festival was graced by Aziza Mustafazada, Billy Cobham, Al Jarreau, the Herbie Hancock Quintet, Toots Thielemans, Maynard Ferguson, Greg Osby, Branford Marsalis, Richard Bona, Guida de Palma & Jazzinho, Maria Joao Quartet & Mario Lagin and many others.

The current jazz festival was different from the others not only in its duration (it lasted 15 days), but for the number of world famous performers. The opening ceremony was held at the Heydar Aliyev Palace. The first to perform was the Arena jazz ensemble of the Baku State Circus led by Azerbaijan's Honoured Artist Hasanaga Abbasquliyev. The programme he had prepared was in two parts. The first part included jazz variations based on works by Azerbaijani composers. The second part included a jazz band playing under the direction of Amikam Kimelman, a saxophonist, composer and conductor from Israel. The musicians performed works by Bob Mintzer - the lead singer of the legendary jazz team Yellowjackets playing r'n'j - rhythm and jazz. Arena performed pieces by Kimelman himself. Amikam Kimelman is the pride of Israeli jazz, a saxophonist, arranger and producer and musical director of the Tel Aviv Jazz Big Band. But the evening was made truly memorable by Arena soloists Aysel Mammadova and Diana Haciyeva. The latter was remembered by the audience for her incredible talent and unusual style of performance.

The second day of the festival was marked by the performance of Matt Bianco. This group plays cheerful, light jazz, to which you want to dance. They cheered everyone with their bossa nova rhythms and pop jazz, which aroused good, pleasant feelings. The group was formed by former members of the jazz ensemble Blue Rondo a la Turk. Matt Bianco eventually became one of the leaders of English pop jazz. Their version of Georgie Fame's song "Yeah Yeah" was the best European single of 1985, while "Wam Bam Boogie" was the best club track of 1988. Throughout its existence, Matt Bianco has undergone major changes in its composition. Released in 2001, another single "Rico" marked a turn towards "acid jazz" mixed with traditional Cuban rhythms.

As part of the jazz festival, the Muslim Magomayev State Philharmonic Hall hosted a concert by the young and very talented pianist, and winner of the International Jazz Festival in Montreux (Switzerland), Isfar Sarabski. The jazz played by Sarabski surpassed all expectations. It was no surprise that he received standing ovations after each song. Over more than two hours - that's how long the concert lasted - the pianist presented numerous jazz compositions: an air by Bach, a medley of works by Vaqif Mustafazada, Oblivion, Last Chance, Novruz, Agent and others. Incidentally, the last songs were written by Isfar himself and are quite famous in Europe. Sarabski's performance at the Philharmonic Hall was accompanied by musicians Emil Hasanov (bass guitar) and Aleksandr Mashin (drums) - a special guest drummer who lives and works in Moscow.

One of the highlights of the Baku Jazz Festival, which rallied stars of jazz music and numerous fans of the genre, was a concert by Shakatak. Celebrating its thirty-year anniversary this year, the world-famous British group performed at the Heydar Aliyev Palace. The group, whose name comes from a London musical instruments shop, showed Bakuvians how to keep the powder in the music flasks dry despite advancing years. Vocalist Jill Saward, keyboardist Bill Sharpe, guitarist Keith White, bassist George Anderson and drummer Roger Odell gave outstanding professional performances.

Another of the long-awaited concerts at the festival was the performance by Al Di Meola, in whom two guitarists coexist: one is an incredibly technical and inventive performer of fusion on the electric guitar and the other is a thoughtful scholar of modern flamenco and modern tango. Having released over 20 solo albums and worked with the most versatile musicians at various times, he never ceases to amaze everyone with the depth of his talent and creative longevity. Al Di Meola has tried different music genres, and finally developed his own style, in which Gypsy motifs, bossa nova, jazz, tango and much other styles intertwine. He received a standing ovation. He himself thanked the audience and said: "I am bound to your city. First, I have already been here - this was seven years ago, and now, having arrived here, I did not recognize the city - it has changed and become so beautiful. Second, a few years ago I worked with Aziza Mustafazada on a project called 'Dance of Fire'. And believe me - she is one of the people your country should be proud of."

During the festival, the Azerbaijani State Philharmonic Hall hosted a concert by the renowned American band Vijay Iyer Trio. The ensemble's music, along with the traditions of the great pianists, also contains traces of contemporary musical influences.

Members of Vijay Iyer Trio have performed and recorded together for almost five years - the band's discography includes one album recorded as a trio and two joint CDs with alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. The leader of the ensemble, an American pianist of Indian origin, Vijay Iyer, is considered one of the leading pianists on the contemporary jazz scene. In a survey of jazz critics by the authoritative US magazine Downbeat, Iyer won in the category "Rising Star" as a jazz musician and composer for two consecutive years - 2006 and 2007 - and as a jazz pianist in 2009.

His discography includes more than 10 albums. Vijay has worked with John Zorn, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Steve Coleman and Amiri Baraka.

The brightest performer of the festival was the Japanese piano star and composer Keiko Matsui who performed music in the style of jazz and new age. Keiko has already released 12 solo albums that brought her international fame. She is one of the most famous performers of contemporary jazz and has conquered audiences throughout the world with her easy and elegant jazz and oriental motifs. Over the past 10 years, Matsui has often visited Ukraine for solo concerts. Conquering the audience from the very first concert, she now surprises with new programmes, albums, performances with a symphony orchestra etc. every time. The melodies of her programmes are still heartfelt and soulful. "I believe that music is a gift from God or the universe, sent to us so that we can feel unity with its help," says the singer. Her style is commonly called "contemporary jazz" or "modern music for adults". If we delve a little deeper into musical directions, it is a cross between New Age, Smooth Jazz and Easy Listening. It is a perfect relaxing backdrop for any time of day. What's more, her melodies are sufficiently original, while arrangements for a large number of instruments make her music quite recognizable. Matsui, who speaks the language of jazz pop and fusion, has also received recognition as an original composer who remains faithful to the music culture of the East, and as a unique vocalist.

The American jazz singer Dianne Reeves, whose concert closed the International Jazz Festival, has a strong and flexible voice and looks great - a real Lady Jazz. She does everything with extraordinary ease and enthusiasm. When Reeves appears onstage, she approaches the microphone and starts singing quietly, standing nearly a metre from the microphone, and we can already feel what a powerful voice she has and how it "covers" the entire hall. From that moment to the end of the concert, Dianne does not lose the tempo, showing new facets of her voice with every measure. And an hour and a half flies by as one minute.

Her interest in music, which she developed at 11, increased further thanks to a teacher inspired by his subject. Dianne's great love for music prompted her to become a singer. In the 1970s, Reeves climbed the career ladder in the group of the trumpeter Clark Terry and, at the same time, she drew inspiration from Latin jazz. In 1977, the singer released her debut CD entitled "Welcome My Love". Today Reeves' discography includes about a couple of dozen discs.

The new millennium was marked for Dianne by a number of Grammy awards and reviews of her concerts and CDs which praised the jazz diva to the skies. This woman with a voice of five octaves is recognized as one of the best contemporary jazz singers around the world, and has become famous for her live shows and numerous albums.

Incidentally, the authoritative European TV channel Euronews aired a report about the jazz festival in Baku, speaking in detail about the history of jazz, its development and contemporary artists in Azerbaijan. It noted specifically that traditional jazz festivals in our country are continually gaining in scope, and this is proved by the participation of the world's best musicians, which well-known representatives of the Azerbaijani school of jazz mentioned in their interviews.