CONQUERORS OF STREETS AND FESTIVALS

They plan to conquer the people's hearts. They dream about international recognition. Their music is a catharsis. With all the best one can take from the world music tradition combined with a thorough study of the history of Azerbaijani music and recognising Vagif Mustafazadeh as their spiritual teacher, they have managed to set a thin path into the world of music, which should eventually lead them to the best stages of the world. But they do not aim for glory. Rather it is an attempt to enrich the national music, contribute to the history of jazz culture and create an individual platform for the future generation of musicians.

They are the winners of the Bakool Arts Festival, participants of other festivals in Brazil and Istanbul and the regular attendants of music tours in Georgia… It seems they have indeed chosen the right path. But it all began with public performances on the street.

Youth, confidence, ambitions, positive energy, and talent are the main features of the members of The Ahmedovsky Trio jazz-funk band from Baku.

Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Babek: My name is Babek Ahmedov. Ahmedovsky is my stage name. I am the founder of the band, composer and performer. Muhammed Latifli is our bassist. He also does vocals. For example, you can hear him in one of our compositions, Requiem. Khudayat Ahmed is a drummer who is not with us today. He took a day off, which he enjoys with his girlfriend. I think they are making fettuccine (thick and long Italian noodles, R+) now. We say 'hello' to them from here. We really hope that the fettuccine will be delicious (laughing).

Ok, let's start with a traditional question about the history of your band.

Babek: This is actually my fifth band. At different times, we experimented with different music styles. For example, my first band was doing metallic, which I later left to do flamenco with another band. We also did some blues, rock, electronic rock, but finally, I opted for jazz, which we perform with my present band, The Ahmedovsky Trio.

How long have you been working together?

Babek: We turned three years this summer.

Jazz was very popular in Azerbaijan in the 1960s. What do you think about the situation now?

Babek: Yes, jazz was once very popular in our country. It is popular now too. There are other jazz bands such as Bakuba. I also used to know Albina who perform underground. I think jazz is the best an Azerbaijani can do. Popular music is less than desirable. Rap is good because verbal creativity has always been one of our strengths also thanks to the late Anar Naghilbaz.

Underground jazz performers are like gods, and their number is growing rapidly. Fortunately, there are production companies and individuals who see their talents and contribute to the popularity of jazz as much as possible. We really enjoy this! We would nevertheless advise underground performers be cautious of different negative situations they can face in this area. They should never lose courage and take care of themselves instead. By the way, it is great that Baku hosts jazz festivals every year. This is really a great event. This year we were lucky to be participants of one of the events dedicated to the memory of the legendary Rafig Babayev. In particular, they liked foreign musicians, who were invited to participate. Organizers of the festival are very kind and sincere people Leila Efendieva and talented saxophonist Rain Sultanov - they are doing a really great job.

You came with your album. Can you tell us a little about it?

Babek: Yes, it is called Caspian Broadcasting. If you ask me about the name, the answer is simple: it includes ten tracks about the Caspian shores of Baku. The cover image is made in blue symbolising the sea, while the bay area resembles strings of a musical instrument. The Intro track is my version of the story about the golden generation of musicians, our streets and air, without which we cannot imagine our life. Requiem is the title of our second track composed by Rasim Muzafferli. We also included a track with XXXpert (rap performer, R+), which was a hit in the past.

With the exception of Requiem and Alagöz, the rest of the titles belong to me. I usually show the original version of my composition to my guys. Then we rehearse and make necessary changes before it reaches your ear. Our producer for this album is Orkhan Ata, who is my old friend and an important person in my life. He is the owner of the label, which is used in the US too. And most importantly: our album is dedicated to journalist Chingiz Mustafayev and the whole of 'golden generation'.

This is not your first album...

Babek: Yes. Our first album was dedicated to the great Vagif Mustafazadeh and was mainly based on his music. We published it as a tribute to this great man and composer.

Why Vagif Mustafazade? Do you feel any spiritual or creative affinity with him?

Babek: There are many outstanding and talented composers in Azerbaijan such as Rafig Babayev, the Gaya... But Vagif's philosophy and lifestyle are significantly different. I thought that if we release this album, it should be dedicated to him. I think he should be the first reference of anyone who wants to learn the basics of music. To prepare the album, we went as far as we could to study the works of Mustafazadeh and the entire Azerbaijani musical history in general.

Which of the contemporary performers do you consider true representatives of style and taste in music? Who is your legendary musician?

Babek: Rafig Babayev and Vagif Mustafazadeh were and will remain the legends of the genre. Among my contemporaries, I can name Isfar Sarabsky. He is a true virtuoso. Isfar and Dhafer Youssef have been on a world tour recently. I can also name some underground performers. They have a talent but, unfortunately, they remain unknown. No regrets, everything is fine with them. After all, being an underground musician has its own virtues. I would name, for example, Firuddin Hamidov, who performs with his own team of seven people.

So, there is no competition in music?

Babek: No. Kamil Hajiyev, a famous Azerbaijani musician, who now lives in Turkey, once was asked if he represented Azerbaijan in Turkey. He replied that music is not dividing people; rather it is a uniting force.

Muhammed: For the last two years, we have been listening together, and our musical tastes have become very similar. So, I would add a few more names to Babek's list of favourites. I truly enjoy the works of these legends. For example, American jazz bass player Jaco Pastorius, Joy Dart, Yussef Kamaal.

Do you see yourself as legends in the future?

Babek: When we find time, we dream about it (laughs). I think it is wrong to create something for the sake of glory. To become a legend, it is not enough to wish, it is necessary to work. If you look at an iceberg, you can see that the larger part of it is under the water. Only the tip is on the surface. Being a legend means to reach the bottom of the iceberg.

Muhammed: A true creative person will never set a goal to be a legend.

Do you share the same philosophy of music or each of your members interprets music individually?

Babek: Perhaps, each of us has his own perception and, consequently, his own subjective philosophy.

Muhammed: It's a difficult question. I did not think about the essence of our music before. For me, the meaning of activity is in painstaking work. The purpose of our work is to contribute to the history of national music, enrich it and leave a piece of our individuality to the future generation. Not long ago, we could see a complete decline in national culture and music. We need to fill in this gap, so that the future generation had something to think about and take their turn to create their own.

How does the audience accept your synthesis?

Babek: So far so good. I think that to be recognised as a good musician in Azerbaijan, you just need to synthesise adding elements of national music. After all, our national music requires special attention. It is very rich and full. Country music is a part of the American culture. But frankly, if I lived in the US, I would not work in this genre because I find it oversimplified. Azerbaijani music requires a careful study, for it is not simple.

You often give concerts in the second homeland of Mustafazadeh, in Georgia. How is his music accepted there? Do they still remember him?

Babek: He is known not only in Georgia, Turkey but all over the world. This is a great respect and love for his personality and works. Thanks to Mustafazadeh, we are able to promote the Azerbaijani version of jazz throughout the world, while, for example, there is no such thing as Russian jazz, etc. We are proud of him. Creating an alternative to American jazz, ethnojazz, is something only a genius could achieve. Oil Rocks of Mustafazadeh is very shifting; in fact, it's a swing-jazz. The chords, harmony, musical ambiance, well, practically everything is hinting about the territorial origin of the piece. When you listen to Vagif, you feel the winds of Baku: gilavar and khazri. His music is a combination of winds and sea waves of Baku.

Muhammed: American jazz does not have the oriental motifs of Vagif. Vagif's mugham-jazz is perfect.

What do you think about the musical taste of younger generation?

Babek: It is improving. In fact, it is the musicians who set the trends, tastes, and preferences of any society; they develop and educate the society. People listen to music on the Internet. This also has a huge impact.

Muhammed: They say that a person's playlist can define his or her taste and views. If you look around, you can see that the tastes have changed. People listen to our music, they try to keep up with the time they're living in, they are interested in trends. Five years ago, the youth was completely different, more radical. People around were of the same type. But time goes by changing music, people, and their tastes.

This year you took part in the jazz festival in Istanbul...

Babek: It was an unforgettable experience.

Muhammed: Unforgettable feelings because we had just released the Caspian Broadcasting and we needed some rest. We were lucky to get an invitation from the organisers to participate at this annual event. We believe that the Istanbul Jazz Festival was a kind of gift of destiny for that period of our life. We arrived there for two days, but we stayed for ten. The festival was very good in all respects. The audience enjoyed our music. What could be more beautiful?

Babek: By the way, we performed encore.

Do you find the local audience different from the foreign ones?

Muhammed: They are radically different. For example, during the festival in Turkey, we received so much energy from the audience that our performance was much better than we expected. People were dancing and singing along. In Georgia, it was the same, the youth is mobile and this charges us with energy at its highest. In Azerbaijan, the activity of people depends on the mood of the minority. People come, and only two or three of them dance thus energizing others. Our listeners always trust the behaviour of "others" and act as "others" would do. It can be better seen from the stage.

Babek: I think it is all about our complexes. I do not blame the local audience absolutely. Because there are certain standards of behaviour, a way of life, or a framework which people drive themselves in and from which it is difficult to get out. This is a matter of generations, traditions. That is the way it is. It would be absolutely incorrect to compare different behavioural patterns.

Do not you want to take your music back to the street like before?

Babek: No, I do not. I grow and, therefore, my audience grows. I do not think that I want this, since we do not always have a chance to play on the street (laughs). Street music has become a great school for me, a springboard that brought me to the stage. I'm sure that at that time I had nothing to present on the stage.

What are your plans for the future?

Muhammed:To perform on the world stage. Raise to the level of the Canadian underground band Badbadnotgood and Yussef Kamaal. They are very popular, loved and respectd. We dream of reaching their level of professionalism.

Babek: The desire to just share a scene with them, that is, to go out to the audience after the performance of these musicians. We wish ourselves more concerts and festivals. The scene is our dream!