Shahin Novrasli (born February 10, 1977) is an
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
i jazz and classical pianist, and composer
Early years
Childhood
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 ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, on 10 February 1977, Shahin is a descendant of celebrated 19th century Azerbaijani poet Mirza Alesker Novres. His father, professor Novras, and mother, economist Naila, instilled their sons with their own knowledgeable love for good music. At three years old, Shahin was already displaying an interest in music and rhythm. His first major public performance, aged 11, was in
Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall for a symphony orchestra concert by composer Azer Rzayev. In Gulya Namazova’s class at music college, Shahin was a very serious student of classical music and displayed great skill in performing a huge range of works by Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninov and other composers. This classical background is often to be heard in his jazz compositions but his love for American music - its jazz, rhythm, harmony - prevails. Combining all the musical skills, from playing to composing, jazz opened the way for Shahin to express his inner world, his music and it was not long in becoming the main focus of his creativity.
College and Music Academy
From 15 to 19 Shahin immersed himself in his favoured music, listening to the great pianists:
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones, July 2, 1930) is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator. For six decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz.
Biography Early life
Jamal was born Fr ...
,
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...
,
Bill Evans
William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
; all the while studying harmony and composition. Graduating from the Bulbul Music School, he moved on to the Azerbaijan State Music Academy. Here he also dedicated time to analysing the music of the legendary Azerbaijani jazz pianist
Vagif Mustafazadeh
Vagif Mustafazadeh ( az, Vaqif Mustafazadə; March 16, 1940 – December 16, 1979), also known as Vaqif Mustafa-Zadeh, was a Soviet- Azerbaijani jazz pianist and composer, acclaimed for fusing jazz and the traditional Azerbaijani folk music known ...
, creator of a synthesis of jazz and traditional Azerbaijani
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 ...
music. Vagif’s compositions still feature in Shahin's repertoire.
Career
From 1997 he began to play in America and Europe in different formats: solo, trio, quartet…. There have also been experiments; adding different instruments to the group, including his own voice. Shahin has recorded three live albums: Live in Moscow, Live in Prague Castle and Jz'Mu, Live in Baku. There is also the experimental album Eternal Way, and Bayati, recorded while living and touring in America and released on the French Bee Jazz label. His detailed study of mugham added another ingredient to his compositions and concerts, furthering the mix of West and East.
Certainly a defining moment in Shahin’s work and career was his meeting with
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones, July 2, 1930) is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator. For six decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz.
Biography Early life
Jamal was born Fr ...
.
[Qobuz, Intervie]
"Shahin Novrasli & Ahmad Jamal celebrate the releases of their respective albums"
''Video Interview'' In 2014 in America, Shahin met Jamal’s manager Laura Hess-Hay; she introduced him to Ahmad Jamal, who rated his music highly and is to this day he representing Shahin to the world.
"He is one of the great pianists what I ever heard of" - Ahmad Jamal -
Jamal also co-produced his 2017 album "Emanation", which received UK Vibe award as "Best Jazz Albums of 2017", album was released on the French label Jazz Village, PIAS.
[PIAS (April 7, 2017]
"Jazz Village Releases Pianist/Composer Shahin Novrasli's Label Debut"
''PIAS''. In 2019, September 13 on Jazz Village,(PIAS) alongside Jamal's "Ballades" Shahin released his album " From Baku to New York City", produced by Ahmad Jamal.
Personal life
In 2007, Shahin married Natavan Novrasli. Natavan is a classical singer, a soloist with the
[Actor]
Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater"
''Azerbaijan, Opera'' and also an Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan. They have two sons, born in 2008 and 2015.
Discography
References
External links
Official Shahin Novrasli website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Novrasli, Shahin
1977 births
Azerbaijani jazz musicians
Musicians from Baku
Living people
Jazz composers
Azerbaijani jazz pianists
Baku Academy of Music alumni
21st-century pianists