Acclaimed Azerbaijani jazz sensation to join MIDEM festival in France
Baku, January 29 (AZERTAC). Supported by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the acclaimed Azerbaijani jazz pianist Isfar Sarabski will perform at the 3rd edition of Midem Festival in Cannes, France.
Azerbaijan will take over the Diane Salon in the Majestic Hotel to host an evening of mugham jazz in the company of virtuoso pianist Isfar Sarabski, winner of the 43rd Montreux Jazz Competition.
The four-day Midem Festival is a key element of Midem, the leading international business event for the new music ecosystem, organised by Reed MIDEM.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation is sponsor and partner of the festival.
Midem Festival is a valuable platform to launch talent on the international stage. The rich line-up presents industry executives with a unique opportunity to discover and source new talent while providing artists with the perfect context to perform and connect with the right players of the music ecosystem.
Isfar Sarabski studied classic piano for eleven years at the Bulbul Music School and graduated as Major - Classical concert piano at the Baku Music Academy, the national Conservatoire.
The year 2012 brought a lot of decisive developments. In April, a Jazz Day was held at the headquarters of UNESCO. "The Friends of Hancock" concert, in which Isfar took part, was also graced by performances of Igor Butman (saxophone), Teri Lyne Karingtonom (drums) and Ben Williams (bass). Jazz stars such as George Benson, Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock and others had also attended the concert. After his performance Sarabsky received a Letter of Thanks from UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova. In August, he performed at the International Jazz Festival in Switzerland and at the Jazz Foundation of America’s 21 annual “Jazz Loft Party”.
The Isfar Sarabski Band explores the relationship between Jazz and Mugham. Azerbaijani Mugham is one of the reasons of increased popularity of jazz in Azerbaijan. Indeed, in this ancient and mysterious genre, also based on improvisation, the main role belongs to the soloist, and his virtuosic performance. With this project, Isfar Sarabski follows the footsteps of the central figure of Azerbaijani jazz Vagif Mustafazadeh who built a unique synthesis of Mugham melody and shaped it with the sharp rhythms and harmonies of jazz, creating one of the most organic art fusion of East and West.