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Vagif Sadykhov, a well-known jazz pianist, was born in Baku in 1946. He started practicing jazz since he was thirteen and graduated from the Azerbaijan Conservatory as a pianist.

In 1966 he was invited to Moscow to work in the then famous "KM" quartet. He has permanently lived in Moscow participating in the jazz life since 1966.

Having frequently performed in concerts, festivals, jazz clubs he quickly gained national popularity among jazz fans. In 1973 he was invited to play in Oleg Lundstrem’s band and in 1979 he was offered a job in the “Melodiya” Recording Studios Orchestra. Working as a keyboardist for the “Melodiya” Recording Studios he proved himself as a composer.

Here he formed the “Jazz-Quintet Soloists” company that successfully performed for the jazz audiences and recorded his LP “The Barometer”. In 1985 Vagif was working in the Cinematography Symphony Orchestra while at the same time continuing his jazz performances with the new “Quintet of Modern Jazz”.

His manner of performance and composition became more up-to-date, modern and in some of his compositions Vagif continued the traditions that combined folklore with modern jazz innovations. Vagif Sadykhov jammed with such jazz musicians as Paul Winter (Moscow, 1989), Valery Ponomarev (The First Moscow International Jazz Festival 1990 and Connecticut, U.S.A. 1991.), drummer Marc Johnson (Novosibirsk-Moscow International Jazz Festival, 1997), Igor Butman (International Jazz Festival “Jazz Kaar”, Tallin 1998), Tommy Smith (Baku, 1999), Tom Walsh (Baku, 2000), Jonny Griffin (Moscow, 2007).

For almost 45 years the name of Vagif Sadykhov has not left the stage. Such jazz stars as Jerry Mulligan, Louis Belson, Billy Cobham, Billy Taylor, Joe Lovano, Benny Green, Russell Malone, Jonny Griffin and many others applauded him at numerous jazz jam sessions. For many years connoisseurs of jazz have admired unique emotional manner of performance, beautiful swing and brilliant virtuosity of this musician.

 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

• JAZZ SOLOISTS QUINTET: "THE BAROMETER"
  (Melodiya, LP 1983 / CD 2007)
  
  Victor "Arzoo" Gusseinov (tp)
  Alexey Zoubov (ts, ss)
  Vagif Sadykhov (p, k)
  Igor Kantioukov (bg)
  Alexander Simonovsky (dr, perc)
   
• GENNADY GOLSTEIN QUARTET / KONSTANTIN NOSOV QUINTET: "THE TIME HAS COME"
  (Melodiya, LP 1988)
  
  Gennady Golstein (as)
  Konstantin Nosov (tp, flh)
  Vagif Sadykhov (p)
  Efim Burd (b)
  Yuri Vetkhov (dr)
  Boris Frumkin (p)
  Adolf Satanovsky (b)
  Alexander Goretkin (dr)
   
• ALEXEY NIKOLAEV: "NOTARIZED BLUES"
  (Ermatell, CD 1998, "Jazz from Siberia" series)
  
  Alexey Nikolaev (ts)
  Vagif Sadykhov (p)
  Vladimit Timofeyev (ts)
  Dmitri Averchenkov (b)
  Sergey Belichenko (dr)
   
• VAGIF SADYKHOV TRIO: "TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT"
  (Moscow International Oil Club, CD 2007)
  
  Vagif Sadykhov (p)
  Anton Revniouk (b)
  Alexander Mashin (dr)

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