Monfared Zadeh

Some people would quickly run away from the music of someone who claims to admire the music of Berg, Crumb, and Cage. Franguiz Ali-Zadeh admires all of those composers and uses similar techniques in her composition, but she also finds inspiration in the music of her native Azerbaijan. With all of this, she creates especially evocative, picturesque works that invite listening more than once. Oasis, the opening work on this disc of her music featuring the Kronos Quartet, begins extremely quietly with water droplets, and then the quartet enters with desolate harmonics, depicting the desolation of the desert. Later in the piece, voices of those taking refuge in the oasis are heard. Ali-Zadeh's music is full of sounds beyond that of the traditionally played instruments of the string quartet and the piano, sounds that enhance and become part of the music. Sometimes it is techniques such as pizzicato, harmonics, col legno, or preparing or playing the strings of the piano; other times it is added instruments, as in Mugam Sayagi, or recorded sound, as in Oasis.

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. Around 2.000.000 copies of this album were sold worldwide.

Contrasts is the eighth release by Azeri jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. Released in early 2006, it is her first completely solo album since her debut in 1991 with the sales of more than 1.000.000 copies worldwide.

There are many contrasts in Aziza Mustafa Zadeh's work, not least due to the conflict between hands and voice, which Aziza Mustafa Zadeh acts out to the joy of her listeners, and which has continuously been documented on CD since 1991. Aziza Mustafa Zadeh is a pianist. She is a pianist like her father, the acclaimed jazz-pianist and composer Vagif Mustafa Zadeh, who passed away much too early in 1979. Aziza Mustafa Zadeh is a singer. She is a singer like her mother Eliza Mustafa Zadeh, her mentor and constant companion.

The Azerbaijan pianist Aziza's Dance of Fire – her second American record – combines be-bop-derived jazz with elements Russian folk music. Supported by Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola, and Bill Evans, Aziza's playing is graceful and fluid, eclipsing her super-star backup musicians.

Seventh 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 up a bit. I'm so glad. Actually, I find it amusing! Why all the fuss? Maybe some women are jealous, or maybe they're too fat to appear like that themselves. Or maybe they're deaf and can't really comprehend what's going on in the music." She said that she made the cover that way because it fits the sensual mood of the music. Around 2.000.000 copies was sold worldwide. Album was particularly successful in North America and in Japan.

Pianist Aziz Mustafa Zadeh, a native of Baku in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, is quite impressive on her American debut. This solo set finds her influenced by Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett to a certain extent but also infusing the music with her heritage. The scales she often utilizes are clearly from the Near East yet her improvisational skills show that the 23-year old has long loved jazz. She takes three vocals (two of which feature rapid and exotic scatting) that display a wide range and an appealing voice. Zadeh performs fifteen diverse originals and the virtuosic pianist clearly has the potential to be a major force in jazz.