A living scene
Baku sounds like jazz
Jazz in today’s Baku is not a legacy of the past but living, everyday music. The city hosts international festivals, clubs hold jam sessions, and young musicians fill halls and win world competitions.
Jazz festival
The Baku International Jazz Festival brings world stars and local musicians onto one stage.
Clubs and centre
The city has jazz clubs and a centre where live music plays almost every evening.
A new generation
Isfar Sarabski, Shahin Novrasli and their peers bring Azerbaijani jazz onto the planet’s biggest stages.
Recognition
Wins at international competitions and recordings with world stars have secured Baku’s place on the jazz map.
Education
Jazz departments and schools train new musicians, continuing the Baku tradition.
Mugham-jazz lives
The genre created by Vagif remains the signature voice of Azerbaijani jazz today.
World stars in BakuA crossroads
Where stages meet
Al Jarreau and dozens of world names have performed on Baku’s stages, while local musicians increasingly play abroad. Jazz has become one of the cultural bridges between Azerbaijan and the world.
It is this exchange that keeps Baku’s jazz alive: it absorbs the world’s music and gives back its own — mugham-jazz.