Living tradition
Not a museum, but a stage
Mugham today is not a relic but a living art. The world has recognised it, it has been given a stage of its own, young musicians study it, and it keeps creating something new — all the way to mugham-jazz.
UNESCO heritage
In 2003 mugham was proclaimed a masterpiece of humanity’s heritage, and in 2008 inscribed on the UNESCO list.
Mugham Center
Baku has the International Mugham Center — a concert and educational home for the art.
The “Mugham” competition
A television mugham competition discovers new young voices and keeps interest in the tradition alive.
Festivals
International mugham festivals and “Mugham Days” gather performers and listeners from all over the world.
Education
Mugham is taught in music schools and the conservatory; the “teacher–student” tradition is alive today.
Mugham-jazz
From the meeting of mugham and jazz a new genre was born — Azerbaijan’s contribution to world music.
Mugham and jazzNew forms
When mugham met jazz
The improvisational nature of mugham proved close to jazz. Their fusion, begun by Vagif Mustafazadeh, gave mugham-jazz — music known at festivals from Montreux to New York.
Read more in our special projects on jazz and Vagif Mustafazadeh.