2024-05-04 13:49:20
As part of the Baku International Jazz Days, organized by the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeir Hajibeyli with the support of ADA University and the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, a concert of the State Ensemble “Gaya” entitled “Jazz Improvisations” was held, Day.Az reports.
Speaking at the opening on the stage of the International Mugham Center, director of the State Ensemble “Gaya” Turan Mamedaliyeva spoke about the history of jazz in the country and the program dedicated to International Jazz Day.
The concert program “Jazz Improvisations” began with the performance of a fantasy on the themes of the musical comedy of the great Uzeyir Hajibeyli “Arshin Mal Alan”, which was addressed by many jazz performers and groups of Azerbaijan. Back in the 1970s, the legendary quartet “Gaya” based on the musical comedies of Uzeyir Hajibeyli staged theatrical sketches of a jazz-pop improvisational nature. Since 2015, the director of the State Ensemble “Gaya”, People’s Artist Rauf Babayev began work on the project “Arshin Mal Alan”. Having conceived this project in the form of a musical, he himself worked on the choral and vocal numbers, and entrusted the arrangement of the instrumental numbers to the ensemble member, composer and arranger Nazim Akhmedov. Unfortunately, the presentation of the project was postponed due to the pandemic and the death of Rauf Babayev and took place several years later – in January 2024.
Melodies performed in jazz and pop style – Asker’s aria, Gulchohra’s arietta, girls’ choirs, the duet of Veli and Telli, the duet of Asker and Suleiman aroused special delight among the listeners.
The audience was also presented with a cappella performances and to the accompaniment of compositions based on famous jazz and pop standards. Among them are the duet “It had to be you” (Gunay Akhmedova and Jahangir Parishani), works performed a capella “İllər ötsə də”, “In the style of Bach”, “Autumn Leaves” by V. Kosma, “Night in Tunisia” by D. Gillespie, “Don’t mean a thing” by D. Ellington and other compositions, earning enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Information support – Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az, Azernews.Az.
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