For those unaware, Azat Bayazitov is a Russian-born and New York-based outstanding saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator.

Azat is a Master degree graduate of the JAZZCAMPUS (Basel, Switzerland), studied with Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier, Jorge Rossy, Guillermo Klein, Domenic Landolf and many others, and GNESINS Russian Academy of Music (Moscow, Russia), teacher Alexander Oseychuk. The winner of international jazz competitions, ex-soloist of ‘Igor Butman Moscow Jazz Orchestra’.

He has been touring in the USA, Canada, Europe, India, South Korea, China, and Russia as well.

In 2015 Azat released his debut album “IF YOU STILL TRUST” (Butman Music records) which was recorded in New York with the participation of Mark Whitfield Jr.

In 2017 Azat Bayazitov decided to move to New York. In 2019 Azat recorded his new album “THE DOOES ARE OPEN” (Rainy Days records) with David Kikoski, Adam Rogers, Boris Kozlov, and Samvel Sarkisyan. The recording session held at Bunker Studio in New York. A new album is released in June 2020 and received many positive reviews and feedbacks from different reputable jazz magazines.

On December 15th, 2023 Azat released his 3rd album “EXPECTATIONS” which was recorded in Basel (Switzerland) in summer 2022.

1. Expectations (6:45)
2. Very New York (7:05)
3. Be Loose (8:16)
4. Maybe Later (6:29)
5. Stretching Out (6:03)
6. Make Them Friends (8:36)
7. Arina (6:44)
8. A Step Further (4:33)
9. Talk To People (8:12)

This masterful recording opens on the free flowing ambiance of Expectations (featuring Fernando Brox) and the more grounded, sedately sculpted Very New York (featuring Silvan Joray & Roberto Koch) and they are followed by the upbeat and joyous Be Loose (featuring Silvan Joray and Janis Jaunalksnis) and then an aching yearn found within Maybe Later is presented to us.

Along next is the sprightly Stretching Out (featuring Julia Perminova and Roberto Koch) and the stringently dedicated Make Them Friends (featuring Domenic Landolf) and they are in turn backed by the quiet dance floor swirl of Arina (featuring Silvan Joray), rounding out on the simply divine orchestrations found within the sumptuous A Step Further (featuring Silvan Joray and Julia Perminova), coming to a close on the low slung finger-snapper Talk To People (featuring Silvan Joray, Julia Perminova and Janis Jaunalksnis).

Bayazitov will return to New York at the beginning of 2024, where he’ll apply lessons learned at Jazzcampus. He has high expectations for the next phase of his career. “I need that feeling of being pushed that you get in New York, where you’re always encountering musicians who play better than you and you have to pull yourself up to reach their level,” he says. With Expectations, Bayazitov establishes himself as one of the players who will inspire New York’s younger jazz aspirants to pull themselves up to his level.

Official Purchase Link