Georgian singer to join Baku International Jazz Festival

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Famous Georgian jazz singer Irakli Koiava and his quintet will give a concert in Baku, Azertac reported.

The concert will kick off at Art Garden as part of the Baku International Jazz Festival on October 23.

Koiava will be accompanied by Keso Burchulade (violin, piano, vocal), Devid Bahtadze (percussion), Natiya Maglakelidze (violin) and Nika Chelidze (electro and acoustic guitar, vocal).

A number of acclaimed jazz singers, including Deborah J Carter Quartet,Plunge jazz trio,Gabriel Grossi Trio, Antonio Lizana Group,  and others  will join the Baku International Jazz Festival  to be held from October 22 to 30.

The festival aims  to showcase Azerbaijan's long-running attachment to the American-born art form, a connection first established in the country during the 1950s and 1960s, during a time when jazz was outlawed by Soviet authorities.

Irakli Koiava was proposed to form a new project called Dimension in 2005.

The project was a duo of Irakli playing percussion and his brother David Koiava playing acoustic guitar. Shortly after that, they were joined by a tenor saxophonist Goga Garsevanishvili. The trio performed ethno/folk jazz, drawing influence from folk music of various countries.

Later, the band organized a cross-Caucasian tour, performing in various jazz events.

In 2006 Koiava founded a joint project by Georgian and Azerbaijani jazz musicians, including Yashar Guseynov (tabla) and Yasef Eyvazov (oud). The project performed in Baku in a jazz club “Caravan”.

Irakli performed in various jazz clubs and festivals, but perhaps the most interesting performances were held in an old female monastery Pažaislio vienuolynas and an evangelist church Kauno Evangeliku Liuteronu Baznycia. 

During his participation in special project "Juzz duo it", Irakli created five original compositions himself that  are permanently performed during the various concerts and festivals.