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 ...

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 ...

(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 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 wo ...

and Frédéric Chopin. 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 2 ...

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", ...

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 i ...

'', in 1991. The album showed influence of Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, 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 hon ...

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 professiona ...

. 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 joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Main ...

, 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 t ...

, starring in her own concert at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater and headlining the end-of-festival concert at the open-air Green Theater.

Discography

* ''

'' (1991) * ''

'' (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 b ...

'' (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: "Wh ...

'' (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 article

AllAboutJazz.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