Baku Jazz Festival starts with spectacular shows

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The Baku International Jazz Festival has started at ADA University, Azernews reports.

Rector of the ADA University Professor Hafiz Pashayev, Culture Minister Anar Karimov, Brazilian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Manuel Adalberto Carlos Montenegro Lopes da Cruz, the festival's artistic director, Honored Artist saxophonist Rain Sultanov announced the opening of the Baku Jazz Festival 2022.

In their remarks, they stressed the great role of jazz in the country's musical culture and drew attention to the exchange of jazz traditions with world-class musicians for the promotion of multiculturalism.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, ADA University Rector Hafiz Pashayev emphasized that it is a great honor to open the traditional jazz festival for the first time at ADA University.

Culture Minister Anar Karimov said that the Baku Jazz Festival has become a wonderful tradition. He thanked Rector Hafiz Pashayev for holding the festival's opening ceremony at ADA University.

The minister also touched upon I am Jazzman International Contest of Young performers.

Around 63 musicians applied for participation in the contest, which became a record since the founding of this competition.

The opening ceremony was followed by a spectacular concert where Grammy Award winner Gregory Maret (Switzerland) performed together with Azerbaijani musicians, including young pianist Elbay Mammadzada.

Over the past decade, Gregory Maret has become a unique and compelling voice in a wide spectrum of the contemporary jazz world.

He has successfully collaborated with world-class musicians like Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Cassandra Wilson, Marcus Miller.

The guests of the Baku Jazz Festival also enjoyed an incendiary program by the Brazilian singer Heloisa Lourenco. Her incendiary performance did not leave anyone indifferent.

The musical evening gave a start to one of the country's major music festivals.