APersonIndependent states
Vagif Mustafazade
Pianist and composer (1940–1979), creator of jazz mugham.
Vagif Mustafazade was born in Baku's Old City on 16 March 1940. He studied piano at music school and fell in love with jazz as a young man.
In the 1960s he combined the modes and intonations of mugham with jazz, creating a new style — jazz mugham. His ensembles won prizes at Soviet jazz festivals, and in 1978 his piece Waiting for Aziza took first prize at an international competition of jazz composers in Monaco.
Mustafazade died during a concert in Tashkent on 16 December 1979. His daughter Aziza Mustafazade is a renowned jazz pianist who continues his path.
Sources
Updated: October 11, 2026