Photo Report

Home page

Photo Report

US jazzmen performing in Azerbaijan held press-conference

08 April 2008 10:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ulker Gasimova â€“APA. US popular jazzmen Dan Tepfer and Joel Harrison, who are on a visit to Azerbaijan held a press-conference on Tuesday, APA reports. Dan Tepfer said he was prize winner of many international contests, including the Edinburgh and Dundee Jazz Festivals, the International Martial Solal Jazz Piano Competition in Paris, the FMJS Jazz Competition in Washington. After having completed a Master’s Degree in jazz piano performance, Tepfer was named the 2007 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz of the American Pianists Association in April of 2007. Now based in New York City, he studies with jazz pianist Fred Hersch and classical pianist Zitta Zohar. He said he knew Azerbaijani world-known jazzman Vagif Mustafazadehâ€™s creation. â€œI listened Vagif Mustafazadehâ€™s concert in Latvia in 1979. I would like to listen and study the synthesis of Mugam and jazz during a visit. We will give master-classes and meet with Azerbaijani musiciansâ€. Joel Harrison said he had been working as a professor at Mississippi State University throughout 14 years. He was also the director of Mississippi Piano Vitrine. Currently, he is the member of America Piano Players Association. Harrison has been contracted as the chairman of UK Musicians Association in 2002. Now, he teaches at the Universities of North Carolina and Indiana and conducts research work in Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Culture Counselor of the US Embassy Dmitriy Tarakhovsky said the sponsor of the project was â€œQarant SÄ±ÄŸortaâ€ Company. â€œThe program of guests is multifaceted. In the framework of their visit to Baku, which is considered as one of Jazz culture centers, performers will run training in National Musical Conservatoire and the Music School named after BÃ¼lbÃ¼l and will share their experience with students. Besides that, a round table will be organized with music managers and other specialists in this fieldâ€. Trakhovsky said the guests would perform with concert program in Baku Jazz Center on April 9 and depart on April 10 for Turkey.