Guitar challenge between Russian and Azerbaijani jazz musicians at Moscow Conservatory

On Saturday, June 18, a composer and pianist Grigory Fain gathered all jazz fans together at the Moscow Conservatory once again. During the festival of the renowned maestro "Solo, in a duo and with orchestra" several challenges took place. On the stage of the Great Hall were outstanding Russian and Azerbaijani musicians.

Before the concert, the famous composer admitted in an interview with ‘Vestnik Kavkaza’ that he was anxiously awaiting the beginning of the even. "Jazz is a special, spontaneous kind of music. Certainly we could prepare beforehand and do everything in advance, but it is not what makes it interesting. What is interesting is to improvise live on stage. On the one hand, I am a bit worried, and on the other hand, I am confident in my musicians, my partners. I played with them many times and I know that they are masters of jazz and improvisation. When they go up on stage, they turn into different people. Everything starts blooming around us. I think the audience feels this atmosphere,’’ he stressed.

The pianist, one of the organizers of the First European Games, Gregory Fine’s student Riyad Mammadov also was among the participants of the challenge. "I'm quite a happy person because I received the best education and today I’m play in the best concert hall in the world. To be honest I have not yet realized all this happiness that is surrounding me right now,” the musician said.

Arzu Huseynov, Sergey Golovnya, Oleg Starikov, Vladimir Chernitsyn and others demonstrated what some called a true “summer riot’: a guitar and trumpet against a trombone and piano, two pianos against bass and drums.

Guitarist Aleksander Kuznetsov said that the most important element is rhythm. "We also beautiful harmony, and, of course, a melody. These are the three elements [that are essential for music] in this particular order. And we are glad that the event was organized and took place,’’ he said.