The Caucasus
Armenia · Georgia · Azerbaijan
Mountains between the Black and Caspian Seas: the Armenian duduk, Georgian polyphony, Azerbaijani mugham — and “jazz-mugham,” the fusion of mugham with jazz.
27 recordings, 1966–2022
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1966
Vagif Mustafazadeh, Jazz Trio “Kavkaz”
The Azerbaijani pianist who joined mugham modes with jazz improvisation — the founder of jazz-mugham.
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1975
Bahram Mansurov, Azerbaijan: Azerbaijani Mugam (UNESCO Collection from Smithsonian Folkways)
Azerbaijani tar master Bahram Mansurov (1911–85) playing mugham on the eleven-string tar, issued by Philips in UNESCO’s Musical Sources series; the booklet dates the recordings to 1974.
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1975
Vagif Mustafazadeh, Sevil: Jazz Compositions Вагиф Мустафа-Заде — Севиль. Джазовые композиции
A Melodiya album by Baku jazz pianist Vagif Mustafazadeh, whose centrepiece is dedicated to Sevil, the Baku ensemble he founded in 1971 and led until 1977; its pieces take Baku and the Caspian Sea as their subjects.
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1983
Djivan Gasparyan, I Will Not Be Sad in This World
The master of the Armenian duduk, an apricot-wood double-reed pipe whose deep, mournful tone later featured in many film scores.
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1989
The Rustavi Choir, Georgian Voices
A men’s choir singing Georgia’s traditional polyphony, whose distinctive harmony is inscribed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
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1991
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
Vagif Mustafazadeh’s daughter, a pianist and singer who carried his jazz-mugham forward with classical virtuosity and mugham-style singing.
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1993
Djivan Gasparyan, Moon Shines At Night
Armenian duduk player Djivan Gasparyan’s first international album. Brian Eno heard him in Moscow in 1988 and invited him to London; it came out on Eno’s All Saints label, produced by Michael Brook.
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1993
Sakine Ismailova, Azerbaïdjan - Anthologie du Mugham / Anthology of Mugham, Vol. 5
Sakina Ismayilova, said to be the first female khanende to sing mugham while playing the daf, recorded in Baku in Mirza Husayn Segah, Shahnaz and other mughams, for the Maison des Cultures du Monde.
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1995
Giya Kancheli, Kim Kashkashian & Dennis Russell Davies, Kancheli: Abii Ne Viderem
Music by Georgian composer Giya Kancheli, recorded in April 1994 for ECM New Series: the title work for viola soloist Kim Kashkashian and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies, framed by two pieces from his cycle Life without Christmas.
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1995
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Dance of Fire
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh’s third album, recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York in early 1995 with Al Di Meola, Bill Evans, Stanley Clarke and Omar Hakim: all her own compositions, joining bebop with Azerbaijani folk and mugham.
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1996
Djivan Gasparyan, Apricots from Eden
An album by Djivan Gasparyan, master of the Armenian double-reed duduk. The title track is the Armenian song “Sourmaloui Yerk,” and the album centres on traditional melodies.
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1999
Melek Khanom Eyubova, Azerbaïdjan - Anthologie du Mugham / Anthology of Mugham, Vol. 9
Azerbaijani singer Melek Khanom Eyubova in Mirza Husayn Segah, Qatar and other mughams, recorded in 1992 by P. Simonin and P. Bois and issued in the Maison des Cultures du Monde’s Inédit series.
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2002
Armenian Navy Band, New Apricot
The band percussionist Arto Tunçboyacıyan formed in Yerevan, fusing Armenian folk music and jazz with a sense of humour.
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2003
Lilit Pipoyan, One Day of the City
Yerevan-born singer and architect Lilit Pipoyan builds on Armenian poetry and folklore: the album opens with songs of a changing Yerevan and includes settings of 14th- and 18th-century texts and village songs.
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2006
Nino Katamadze & Insight, Black
Georgian singer Nino Katamadze and her band Insight join the colours of Georgian folk song to jazz.
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2007
Alim Qasımov & Fargana Qasimova, Music of Central Asia, Vol. 6: Spiritual Music of Azerbaijan
Mugham singer Alim Qasimov with his daughter Fargana and a young ensemble of tar, kamancha and balaban, recorded in Baku in 2005: classical mugham alongside bardic songs.
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2011
The Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble & Levon Eskenian, Music of Georges I. Gurdjieff
The ECM debut of the ensemble Armenian musician Levon Eskenian founded in 2008: Gurdjieff and de Hartmann’s piano pieces re-arranged for duduk, kamancha, tar, kanon and other folk instruments, recorded in Yerevan.
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2011
Natalie Beridze, Forgetfulness
Tbilisi-born electronic artist Natalie Beridze (also known as TBA) on Berlin’s Monika Enterprise: breathy, poetic vocals over sounds ranging from ambient to near-industrial, with Ryuichi Sakamoto on one track.
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2011
Mgzavrebi, Meore albomi
The second album by Mgzavrebi (“Travellers”), founded in Tbilisi in 2006 by Gigi Dedalamazishvili, blending traditional Georgian singing and instruments such as the panduri with a modern sound. It followed the popularity a song in the 2010 film Dream Town had brought them.
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2015
Tigran Hamasyan, Mockroot
The Armenian pianist pours progressive rock and electronica into Armenian folk song and sacred chant.
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2015
Trio Mandili, With Love
The debut by Trio Mandili, named after a traditional Georgian headscarf. Their 2014 selfie video singing the folk song “Apareka” on a country road went viral, and this album carries the same voices-and-panduri sound.
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2017
Tigran Hamasyan, An Ancient Observer
Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan’s solo piano album: ten new pieces, two based on Armenian melodies, some fully written out and others leaving room to improvise.
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2017
Lusine Grigoryan, Komitas: Seven Songs
The ECM debut of Gyumri-born pianist Lusine Grigoryan: Komitas’s Seven Songs, dances and children’s pieces, played so that the piano recalls duduk, tar and zurna.
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2019
Alim Qasimov & Michel Godard, Awakening
The great mugham singer Alim Qasimov with the French tuba and serpent player Michel Godard: the mugham voice meets early-music instruments and improvisation.
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2019
Shahin Novrasli, From Baku to New York City
A pianist from Baku playing jazz with New York musicians on a foundation of mugham modes.
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2021
Isfar Sarabski, Planet
The Warner debut jazz album of Baku-born pianist Isfar Sarabski, winner of the 2009 Montreux solo piano award: a piano trio bridging jazz, mugham and classical music.
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2022
Tigran Hamasyan, StandArt
Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan dismantles American jazz standards with his own odd meters and harmony.