This is an accepted version of this page Aziza Mustafa Zadeh (Azerbaijani: Əzizə Mustafazadə; born December 19, 1969) is an Azerbaijani singer, pianist, and composer who plays a fusion of jazz and mugham (a traditional improvisational style of Azerbaijan) with classical and avant-garde influences.

Aziza was born in Baku to musical parents Vagif and Elza Mustafa Zadeh (née Bandzeladze).

Aziza recalls the story[2] as her mother tells it: Once, my father was improvising at the piano playing in the mugham mode known as 'Shur', which creates a mood that evokes very deep, sad emotions.

She began studying classical piano at an early age, showing special interest in the works of famous composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin.

[3] On December 16, 1979, Aziza's father died of a severe heart attack in Tashkent at the age of 39.

In 1988, at the age of 18, Aziza's mugam-influenced style helped her win third place together with American Matt Cooper in the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz (formerly Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz) piano competition in Washington, D.C.[4] It was around this time that she moved to Germany with her mother.

Aziza currently resides in Mainz, Germany, with her mother, Elza Mustafa Zadeh, who is also her manager.