Aziza Mustafa Zadeh ( az, Əzizə Mustafazadə; born December 19, 1969) is an
Azerbaijani singer, pianist, and composer who plays a
fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
of
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and
mugham
Mugham ( az, Muğam) or Mughamat ( az, Muğamat) is one of the many classical compositions from Azerbaijan, contrasting with tasnif and ashik.
It is a highly complex art form that weds classical poetry and musical improvisation in specific l ...
(a traditional improvisational style of Azerbaijan) with
classical and
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
influences.
Biography
Aziza was born in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
to musical parents
Vagif and Elza Mustafa Zadeh (née Bandzeladze).
Aziza's parents first noticed their daughter's sensitivity to music when she was eight months old. Aziza recalls the story as her mother tells it:
Aziza enjoyed all forms of art, especially dancing, painting and singing. At the age of three, she made her stage debut with her father, improvising vocals. She began studying classical piano at an early age, showing special interest in the works of famous composers
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
and
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
. Soon thereafter, she showed a growing talent for improvisation.
On December 16, 1979, Aziza's father died of a severe heart attack in
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
at the age of 39. In order to help her daughter cope with this blow, Aziza's mother gave up her career as a singer to help nurture her daughter's own musical talents.
In 1988, at the age of 18, Aziza's mugam-influenced style helped her win third place together with American Matt Cooper in the
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...
piano competition in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
It was around this time that she moved to Germany with her mother.
Aziza released her debut album, ''
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh ( az, Əzizə Mustafazadə; born December 19, 1969) is an Azerbaijani singer, pianist, and composer who plays a fusion of jazz and mugham (a traditional improvisational style of Azerbaijan) with classical and avant-garde in ...
'', in 1991. The album showed influence of
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
and
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...
, as well as Near Eastern music. Her second album, ''
Always
Always may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom
* ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg
* ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...
'', won her the
Phono Academy Prize Phono may refer to:
* Phone (phonetics), speech sound, gesture or segment
* Phonograph, regularly abbreviated to ''phono'' on buttons and jacks of audio equipment
* RCA connector, called "phono" since they originally connected to phonographs
* Phon ...
, a prestigious German music award, and the
Echo Prize
Echo Music Prize (stylised as ECHO, ) was an accolade by the , an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The first ECHO Awards ceremony was held in 1992, and it was set up to hono ...
from
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
. She has since performed in many countries with many jazz and traditional luminaries and released several more albums, the most recent being ''Generations'', released in 2020.
Aziza currently resides in
Mainz, Germany
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
, with her mother, Elza Mustafa Zadeh, who is also her manager. Her two favorite leisure activities, she says, are painting and sleeping. She is a vegetarian. She believes in God, though she does not consider herself as belonging to any religion.
Baku Jazz Festival 2007
Aziza visited Azerbaijan in June 2007 for the
Baku Jazz Festival
The Baku International Jazz Festival is an annual jazz event organized by saxophonist and Baku resident Rain Sultanov. The festival aims to showcase Azerbaijan's long-running attachment to jazz, a connection established in the country during th ...
, starring in her own concert at the
and headlining the end-of-festival concert at the open-air Green Theater.
Discography
* ''
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh ( az, Əzizə Mustafazadə; born December 19, 1969) is an Azerbaijani singer, pianist, and composer who plays a fusion of jazz and mugham (a traditional improvisational style of Azerbaijan) with classical and avant-garde in ...
''
(1991)
* ''
Always
Always may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom
* ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg
* ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...
'' (1993)
* ''
Dance of Fire
''Dance of Fire'' is the third album released by the Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. It was released in 1995.
Recording and Music
The album was recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York during January and February 1995. It was produced by ...
'' (1995)
* ''
Seventh Truth
''Seventh Truth'' is the fourth album by the Azeri jazz musician Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. It was released by Columbia Records in 1996. Zadeh reported that the cover caused some controversy in Azerbaijan because it featured nudity; she responded: "Why ...
'' (1996)
* ''Jazziza'' (1997)
* ''Inspiration – Colors & Reflections'' (2000)
* ''
Shamans
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
'' (2002)
* ''Contrasts'' (2006)
* ''Contrasts II'' (2007)
* ''Generations'' (2020)
References
External links
*
Azerbaijan International articleAllAboutJazz.com: Aziza Mustafa Zadeh: Body and Soul and Mugam! Music Section of Azerbaijan International
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustafa Zadeh, Aziza
1969 births
Azerbaijani jazz singers
Azerbaijani women pianists
Azerbaijani jazz pianists
20th-century Azerbaijani women singers
Musicians from Baku
Azerbaijani deists
Living people
Scat singers
Women jazz pianists
Azerbaijani people of Georgian descent
21st-century pianists
21st-century Azerbaijani women singers
20th-century women pianists
21st-century women pianists