“Always” is just quite fantastic and perhaps the best jazz I’ve heard from the Caucasus which probably explains why a French Armenian at the French Embassy didn’t return it before leaving Armenia. Doesn’t explain why it’s the only Aziza CD unavailable in Yerevan, however.

Anyway, there’s some Aziza Mustafa Zadeh samples online at http://home.datacomm.ch/lawless/soundbites_title.htm

Moreover, when Azerbaijan is reported to have banned CDs by Charles Aznavour and we ridicule them for that, are you suggesting that it’s okay for us to do the same? Or should we be glad when Djivan Gasparian performs in Turkey as he did recently? Shall we take this to an extreme and stop listening to Sayat Nova because he wrote songs in the Azeri language as well as Armenian and Georgian?

Listening to Aziza Mustafa Zadeh doesn’t change my personal opinions on Karabagh but if it’s any consolation, when I was first introduced to her music in London I thought it was Iranian (or at least some intriguing Iranian-Turkish mix) until I played it to a prominent Diasporan Armenian who said that she was singing in Azeri-Turkish. BTW: He liked it very much and listened to it on a CD walkman all the way to an Armenian Conference in Belgium.

Anyway, I find these arguments about culture unfortunate. When the ARF-D and AYF tried to prevent a half-Armenian and half-Bulgarian Russian singer (Philip Kirkorov) from performing in Armenia because he sang some Tarkan songs in Russian, a few Armenians pointed out that Armenian youth still listen to Tarkan in Turkish. Someone put it simply, “rather than listen to Tarkan in Russian do they want us to listen to Tarkan in Turkish?”

Personally, I like some of Tarkan as well even though I worked for five years fighting human rights abuses in Turkey through Armenian and Kurdish groups.

Or as many Armenians here point out when Diasporans criticize hayastantsi for using Russian words in conversation, the Diaspora has assimilated Turkish words. Or doesn’t it get a little stupid when I’m listening to Richard Hagopian playing oud and singing [Western] Armenian songs and some idiots here complain because it sounds “Turkish.” This actually happened.

Culture should remain separate from politics but invariably is always hijacked. However, if Aziza Mustafa Zadeh was to call for the annihilation of Armenians I would probably stop listening to her music. Until then, it’s good jazz. Anyway, hope there are no Queen fans out there because they say that Freddie Mercury (Faroukh Bulsara) is ethnically Azeri (from Iran). Don’t know if this is true, however, but should it matter?

As to the inventor of fuzzy logic - he is NOT an Azeri (just FYI). My close friend knows him personally, as he did his PhD at UC Berkeley (where Zadeh is Professor Emeritus). Zadeh is a Kurd, not an Azeri (I happen to know a lot of interesting details about his biography and family). Are we going to refer to anybody who lived and worked in Baku as Azeri? How about Garry Kasparov, Lev Landau and many others? Also, funny thing, as soon as someone becomes famous, many nations start to claim the affinity to him. For example - Persians say Zadeh is Iranian: http://www.algebra.com/algebra/about/history/List-of-Iranian-scientists-and-technologists.wikipedia. Now I start thinking: maybe Zadeh is an Armenian, after all he is soo intelligent?

Anyways, I am not saying Zadeh could not be Azeri in principle. And I agree - we should not follow the path of blind rejection of whatever has Turkish roots. Just as they do with Armenians - that really looks pathetic. It’s just personally I can’t force myself to enjoy Azeri culture (if I can find any), or even to buy food made in Turkey. And I fail to understand those crowds of Armenians traveling to Turkey for family vacations or even honeymoons. I can’t be completely objective to the nation whose raison d’etre - often seems - is to destroy my nation. I guess it’s part of my weak human nature. So I on one hand admire your ability to separate the life-death struggle context between us and Azeris from the other aspects of life. On the other hand… see above.

And the last thing “if you don’t find the post interesting it’s very simple. Don’t read it.” - don’t get defensive any time someone criticizes you, it’s not a good BLOG etiquette

Cheers!

Re. Aziza, when I first heard her album “Dance of Fire” in London I never knew she was Azeri but I knew I liked it. When I later found out it was Azeri what was I going to do, say it’s no so good after all?

As for Lotfi Zadeh, Kurd or Azeri he was an Azeri citizen born in Baku. This ethnic roots stuff gets a bit tiring after a while. Of course, if he’s a Kurd it makes it even more interesting although his biography details him being born in Baku to a Jewish mother and a Moslem father. So here we get into some difficulties, don’t we? Is Zadeh a Jew or a Moslem and if the latter is he a Kurd or an Azeri. Basically, however, should it matter?

Anyway, the point is that it’s interesting to know what’s going on in the other republics of the region (which one day even if that’s in the far distant future will be an economic integrated mass whether we like it or not) and that stretches to culture as well as politics, society, economics etc.

And besides, I’m blogging, listen to Aziza CDs, some of which were bought in Yerevan, and she was mentioned in an article by an organization dealing with “Eurasia” and commenting on a jazz festival held in a neighboring country which Armenia is technically at war with.

I think that’s pretty much a connection.

http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/24_folder/24_articles/24_fuzzylogic.html

His mother was Russian (I assume a Russian Jew considering other mentions to his mother in other resources) and after being born and raised in Baku he left for Iran and later the US.

Here’s an interesting quote probably formed by his varied background and people’s claims to him:

“The question really isn’t whether I’m American, Russian, Iranian, Azerbaijani, or anything else,” he’ll tell you. “I’ve been shaped by all these people and cultures and I feel quite comfortable among all of them.”

My point is that when we go so far as to examine the ethnic roots of everybody to decide whether we like them or not it’s going a little too far.

Vahe, re. your comment quoted above, might interest you to know that some Armenians say that Aziza Mustafa Zadeh is an Armenian.

To be honest, it has no relation to whether I liked her music or whether I can still enjoy it but amusing to mention.