BP publicly presented in Tbilisi yesterday the Georgian version of the full documentary film about the jazz virtuoso Vagif Mustafazade to celebrate cultural relationship between Azerbaijan and Georgia. This followed the successful presentation of the Azerbaijani version of the film in Baku. BP’s support for the production of the film "Vagif as I knew him” is part of its long-term commitment to promoting the rich cultural heritage of regional nations.

 

The documentary film is in recognition of Azerbaijan’s and one of the world’s grandmasters of jazz, Vagif Mustafazade - founder of a new genre in the art of music – the jazz-mugham. The film features his life episodes as well as other well-known musicians’ thoughts about this world-renowned jazz performer of Azerbaijan. Vagif Mustafazade lived part of his life in Tbilisi and his Georgian friends attended yesterday’s premier of the documentary. After the premier Dimitri Gongliashvili, Vagif Mustafazede’s close Georgian friend and a well-known musician, said emotionally: "What can I say about Vagif - he was a genius”.

 

Minister of culture of Georgia, Mr. Mikheil Giorgadze said: "Tbilisi has always been the centre where different and versatile cultures of the world meet. Vagif Mustafazade is one of those musicians, whose talent and legacy belongs to the two countries equally. Musicians, and especially lovers of jazz, recognize him as a genius pianist and composer who created Azerbaijani jazz-mugham. In fact, Vagif Mustafazade established the sustainable and interesting school of Eastern jazz.”

 

Gary Jones, BP’s Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, said: "We in BP are proud to be associated with the name of the most renowned representative of Azerbaijan’s jazz. He is also one of the world’s most famous jazz pianists and composers. As an admirer of his talent I know that he was able to create a fantastic combination of the best trends of music of the East and the West. This combination has come out as a brilliant fusing of Azerbaijan’s national mugham music and the Western jazz. "We live in the era of international energy transportation corridors connecting Azerbaijan and Georgia where BP is honoured to play its role. Vagif Mustafazade didn’t live long enough to witness these achievements. But through his works the great musician succeeded in building a different kind of bridge – the one that connects the hearts of people across Georgia and Azerbaijan.

 

BP will continue to support cultural projects in both countries. We believe our cultural initiatives – the films, books, researches, concerts, archaeological studies that we sponsor, along with other major social investment programmes we are undertaking in both countries, fully support the countries’ long-term plans for sustainable multicultural development.” The documentary made by the BUTAfilm company is based on the recollections of Vagif Mustafazade’s contemporaries including Georgian, Russian, Estonian, Polish and American jazz masters who share their recognition of and admiration for his artistic legacy and personality.