His name was chosen by the renowned poet, Samed Vurgun, on the request of his mother, who was a piano teacher in a local music school and played a very influential and immeasurable role in his success.

His name was often mentioned among other jazz musicians and he participated in festivals held in his native land, as well as in and outside the Soviet countries.

Since making a strong impression in his early years at college, his music progressed and popularity grew; he appeared in many festivals.

In 1966, Willis Conover, conductor of the "Jazz Time" radio program, even went as far as to say, "Vagif Mustafazadeh is an extraordinary pianist.

He won first prize at the 8th International Competition of Jazz Composers for his composition "Waiting for Aziza" in Monaco in 1978, and was awarded a white grand piano, but died the next year.

Vagif Mustafazadeh was named Honored Artist of Azerbaijan SSR and after his death was honoured with an Azerbaijani State Prize.

Mustafazadeh is the founder of Azerbaijani jazz mugham movement that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s in Baku, as a result of the mixture of these two styles.

"[8] More than three decades since Mustafazade's death, a larger number of his recordings from all periods of his career are more widely available in stores than at any time during his lifetime.