Aziza Mustafazadeh
Encyclopedia
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh also known as The Princess of Jazz, or Die Prinzessin des Jazz or as Jazziza is an Azerbaijani
singer, pianist
and composer
who plays a fusion
of jazz
and mugam (a traditional improvisational style of Azerbaijan) with classical and Avant-garde
influences. Reviewers have said that her style also shows some influence from Keith Jarrett
. She currently resides in Mainz, Germany with her mother, Eliza 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 even though doesn't consider herself belonging to any religion Since 1991, Aziza sold around 15 million albums worldwide.
to musical parents Vagif and Eliza Mustafa Zadeh. Vagif was a pianist and composer, famous for creating mugam-jazz fusion in which his daughter now plays. Eliza is a classically trained singer from Georgia.
They first noticed their daughter's sensitivity to music when she was eight months old. As Aziza recalls the story her mother tells:
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
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
at the age of 39, three days away from Aziza's tenth birthday. (The chronology of important family dates here is very strange. Aziza's birthday is the 19th, her mother's is the 17th. Vagif died on the 16th and was buried on the 18th. Aziza says, "So all those dates-16, 17, 18, and 19-are such a mixture of joy and sadness for us and such a philosophical paradox-life and death juxtaposed upon each other like that.") 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
piano competition in Washington, D.C.
It was around this time that she moved to Germany with her mother.
Aziza released her debut album, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
, in 1991. Her second album, Always, won her the Phono Academy Prize, a prestigious German music award, and the Echo Prize from Sony
. She has since performed in many countries with many jazz and traditional luminaries and released several more albums, the most recent being Contrasts II
, released in 2007.
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
singer, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who plays a fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and mugam (a traditional improvisational style of Azerbaijan) with classical and Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
influences. Reviewers have said that her style also shows some influence from Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
. She currently resides in Mainz, Germany with her mother, Eliza 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 even though doesn't consider herself belonging to any religion Since 1991, Aziza sold around 15 million albums worldwide.
Biography
Aziza was born in BakuBaku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
to musical parents Vagif and Eliza Mustafa Zadeh. Vagif was a pianist and composer, famous for creating mugam-jazz fusion in which his daughter now plays. Eliza is a classically trained singer from Georgia.
They first noticed their daughter's sensitivity to music when she was eight months old. As Aziza recalls the story her mother tells:
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
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
and Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
. Soon thereafter, she showed a growing talent for improvisation.
On December 16, 1979, Aziza's father died of a severe heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
at the age of 39, three days away from Aziza's tenth birthday. (The chronology of important family dates here is very strange. Aziza's birthday is the 19th, her mother's is the 17th. Vagif died on the 16th and was buried on the 18th. Aziza says, "So all those dates-16, 17, 18, and 19-are such a mixture of joy and sadness for us and such a philosophical paradox-life and death juxtaposed upon each other like that.") 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 Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
piano competition in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
It was around this time that she moved to Germany with her mother.
Aziza released her debut album, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh (album)
Aziza, Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh's eponymous debut, was released in 1991. It was recorded in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Around 700.000 copies of album was sold worldwide.-Track listing:# "Quiet Alone" – 3:31# "Tea on the Carpet" – 4:03...
, in 1991. Her second album, Always, won her the Phono Academy Prize, a prestigious German music award, and the Echo Prize from Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
. She has since performed in many countries with many jazz and traditional luminaries and released several more albums, the most recent being Contrasts II
Contrasts II
Сontrasts II is the ninth release by Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. The album Released in April 2007 in many EU countries. The sales of CD exceed 400.000 copies.-Track listing:# "Introduction" – 1:43# "Mozarts Jazz Ballade" – 3:27...
, released in 2007.
Baku Jazz Festival 2007
Aziza returned to Azerbaijan in June 2007 for the Baku Jazz Festival starring in her own concert at the Opera and Ballet Theater and headlining the end-of-festival concert at the open-air Green Theater. Here she presented a remarkable rendition of 'Shamans', involving harmonising with her own echo.Trivia
- The name of Aziza's fifth album, Jazziza, is her own nickname given to her by her father when she was a child. She has a number of songs and titles that pay tribute to him.
- Aziza has an older half-sister, named Lala, who is also a pianist.
Discography
- Aziza Mustafa ZadehAziza Mustafa Zadeh (album)Aziza, Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh's eponymous debut, was released in 1991. It was recorded in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Around 700.000 copies of album was sold worldwide.-Track listing:# "Quiet Alone" – 3:31# "Tea on the Carpet" – 4:03...
(1991)1991 in musicSee also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year... - Always (1993)
- Dance of FireDance of FireDance of Fire is the third album released by Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. It was released in 1995 with the sales of over 2.000.000 copies worldwide...
(1995) - Seventh TruthSeventh TruthSeventh Truth is the fourth album released by Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. It caused a good deal of controversy when it was released in 1996 because of the visually revealing cover art. Aziza was delighted to hear that the art had caused such a stir. "It means people are starting to wake...
(1996) - JazzizaJazzizaAzeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh released her fifth album, Jazziza, in 1997. The title of the album comes from the nickname her father Vagif gave her when she was a child. The album was particularly successful in UK, USA, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Japan and in Australia...
(1997) - Inspiration – Colors & Reflections (2000)
- ShamansShamans (album)Shamans is the seventh album released by Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. It was released in 2002. In the liner notes, Aziza left a comment about each song. The artwork also contains a number of paintings by Aziza...
(2002) - Contrasts (2006)
- Contrasts IIContrasts IIСontrasts II is the ninth release by Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. The album Released in April 2007 in many EU countries. The sales of CD exceed 400.000 copies.-Track listing:# "Introduction" – 1:43# "Mozarts Jazz Ballade" – 3:27...
(2007)
External links
- Official Site of Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
- Azerbaijan International article
- AllAboutJazz.com: Aziza Mustafa Zadeh: Body and Soul and Mugam!
- Listen to Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Music Section of Azerbaijan International