JAZZ CONQUERS BAKU

For a week the Azerbaijani capital breathed in the rhythms of jazz. The Baku International Jazz Festival took place from 7 to 14 June in Baku and gave us unforgettable concerts by world jazz stars. The organizers of the jazz festival - the ministries of culture and tourism, and youth and sport, the Friends of Azerbaijani Culture Fund and the management of the Baku Jazz Centre - were promising major surprises long before the festival. And they kept their promise. Like last year the festival opened with an open-air gala concert. This time, to the joy of Bakuvians, the opening was held at the recently refurbished Green Theatre - the good old concert venue that languished empty for over 10 years and was once the stage for the idols of Soviet youth.

This time Azerbaijani and foreign performers took to the Green Theatre stage and started off the festival with their jazz improvisations before an audience of 2,000. Famous jazz musicians from Russia, the USA, Turkey, France, Holland and Hungary performed at the festival. For the first time 11 groups from abroad took part and six master classes were organized, bringing together the most fervent jazz lovers. Special equipment was installed in the jazz centre to create a matchless sound quality for the traditional daily jam sessions. 

Aziza and more

The solo concert by Aziza Mustafazada, daughter of the outstanding Azerbaijani jazz musician Vaqif Mustafazada, was one of the biggest surprises for the Baku audience. After a long absence from Azerbaijan Aziza performed the best compositions from her albums, which were hugely popular in Europe, and also some classical pieces in the only concert at the Opera and Ballet Theatre. The bewitched audience listened raptly to Aziza's two and a half hours of magical music. After the concert Aziza Mustafazada admitted that a new life had begun for her with her visit to her home town and promised to perform in Baku again.

It wasn't only famous musicians who displayed their prowess during the festival, young performers did too. Two days in a row young musicians performed at the jazz centre; one graduate of Baku's Bulbul Music School, Isfar Sarabski, impressed the audience with his original playing. Popular nagara (traditional drum) player Natiq Sirinov also performed with Sarabski, the youngest participant in the festival. One of the most memorable concerts was by the trio of piano virtuoso Sahin Novrasli, bassist Nathan Peck from the USA and drummer Aleksandr Mashin, both well-known in Baku. The audience really appreciated the original combination of jazz and mugam and applauded at length.

Jazz lovers were very lucky - the festival gave them plenty of marvellous performers. Legendary drummer Billy Cobham, whose skill stands out in the Culture Mix project, played a concert. He was one of the first to combine contemporary electronic technology and jazz. The musician's fantastic technique and his quintet's energetic and powerful music were a worthy highlight of the festival.

A quartet led by one of the leaders of the Moscow jazz scene, Aleksandr Oseychuk, a professor at Russia's Gnesins Academy of Music, including saxophonist Zhanna Ilmer, performed at the jazz centre. Russia was also represented by another strong group, the MosGorTrio, which features pianist Yakov Okun, drummer Aleksandr Mashin and bassist Anton Revnyuk, all well-known to Baku audiences.

American guitarist Hiram Bullock bewitched his audience with his high energy performance and dynamic funk music.

The Baku International Jazz Festival 2007 had a more packed programme than the two previous festivals: past festivals concentrated on some star names as headliners, while this year a very high standard of musicians were playing in groups unknown to the Baku audience. For the first time musicians from the former socialist countries took part - Hungary and Poland. Baku-born Zulfuqar Bagirov, who now lives in the USA and graduated from Berklee College of Music, and his group Z-Jazz merited special attention. Interesting performances also came from Volcano (USA), Surinam vocalist Denise Jannah, who now lives in Holland, and the long-awaited Aziza, daughter of the great Vaqif. The Baku International Jazz Festival also had more master classes than its predecessors, given by authoritative musicians: saxophonists Aleksandr Oseychuk and Zhanna Ilmer, Zulfugar Baghirov, one of the most sought-after Russian pianists Yakov Okun, drummer Billy Cobham, Brazilian percussionist Marco Lobo and Dutch singer Denise Jannah gave hugely popular master classes.

Jazz fans will long remember the magical music of the delightful Aziza, Billy Cobham's unbelievable mixes and Hiram Bullock's infectious rhythms. This should keep them going until the next festival which promises to be just as star-studded.