In the history of the formation of artistic consciousness there have been both periods of supremacy of tradition and periods of acknowledgement of innovation as the core value of the creative process. The proper interpretation of tradition and the emergence of innovative ideas are driving forces behind the growth of art. The development of artistic thought occurs due to the constant interconnection between tradition and innovation.
This connection is at the heart of the premise of the Caucasus All Frequency Festival, organized in partnership with Mountains of Tongues. With an aim to create a conversation between the old and the new, the festival will come to life through the collective effort of traditional musicians from the Caucasus, and both local and international experimental musicians from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Hungary. Part of the Art Residency project in Khinalig, organized by Var Yox in collaboration with the State Tourism Agency the festival presents the unparalleled idea of fostering creativity while staying in touch with culture. That is – innovation through tradition.
Accompanied by the outstanding scenery of the highest living areas in the Caucasus, the artists will expose musical colors in all their glory, accommodating the listeners into a lingering sonic space of culture and experimentation. Workshops and masterclasses will be an essential part of the experience, where musicians will contextualize their creations and tackle key issues and questions from the audience.
Friday, September 6
Day 1 kicks off with an introductory crash course to local music, later morphing into extraordinary performance poetry in native Khinalig language. Subsequent performances manifest the concept of the festival, as Hungarian artist Balazs Pandi is accompanied by zurna players from Quba in a mix of experimental and conventional music. Later, folk and experimental alternate between each other as Rehman Mammadli with an exquisite guitar performance is followed by electronic explorations by Hazi Karim
Saturday, September 7
On day 2, we continue with workshops from participating artists, starting off with Rehman Mammadli, who will talk about the movie “Gitara” and his personal musical achievements. Electronic musician Tornike Margvelashvili will give a talk on sound and modular synthesis, followed by Balazs Pandi, who will discuss international jazz and record collection, accompanied by a vinyl DJ set. The ending note will be a concert with features from Ashig Nargile performing selections from a famous dastan and Georgian polyphony from the Anchiskhati Choir Trio. Followed by them will be another feature from the local Hazi Karim joined by drummer Ferdi and pianist Anar Keytarman in their band Master Memory Unit. Tornike Margvelashvile will be the final act of the day performing a live improvides sountrack to a classic Azerbaijani silent film.
Sunday, September 8
Day 3 starts off with Ashig Nargile and a discussion on the culture and background of dastan and ashig culture. Another workshop will be presented by local creator Hazi Karim with an introduction to audio and sound equipment. Georgia’s Dato Shughliashvili will host a class on vocal polyphony and existing styles. Ayaz Aliyev – another local artist will be talking about his musical character and compositions. Final day will be wrapped up with a short gratification to the people of Khinalig and participants, followed by a final party with collaborative performances from participating artists, Khinalig synthesizer creations and live concerts by Parvana Persiani and Ayaz Aliyev.
At the end of each day there will be a screening of films curated by Salaam Cinema, as a final exclamation point to hours of performances from artists and discourse on artistic thought and creativity in music. Throughout the festival, there will also be fairs and yoga and meditation sessions by Highflyoga. We are glad to announce this concept unparalleled in Azerbaijan and provide a platform for all the folk and experimental artists to come together and present a collective sonic landscape. Supported by the magical atmosphere of a culturally rich location and creative contributions of all the people who took part in putting the project together, we are looking forward to the Caucasus All Frequency Festival and meeting you all there.
