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Jazz, which was known under the name “variety”, was very important in the busy concert and theatre life of Moscow of the 50s and Tofig Akhmadov worked in such a “closet” jazz style in a club orchestra in the evenings. He played alto saxophone, soon attracting an audience for his sparkling performance.

In 1955 Akhmadov came to Baku and formed a quartet, later a sextet and later still a septet. He invited talented and skillful instrumentalists to his group. He was a talented organizer and that was why he, and nobody else, was asked to find staff and organize the Radio and Television Variety orchestra.

As conductor and leader of the orchestra Tofig Akhmadov was calm, modest and wise. Of course, there were difficulties when they chose the repertoire: he had to use national harmonies when he wrote his works, because jazz was considered a bourgeois form and was not supported by the authorities. He used national songs and changed them into fantasies for the orchestra. At the same time he wrote his own original instrumental compositions and performed their solo parts himself.

The history of the Radio and Television Variety Orchestra is closely connected with the development of Azerbaijani jazz music. Today analyzing the achievements of the orchestra we cannot doubt the high level of its repertoire and improvisational performance. By his hard work Tofig Akhmadov made a unique contribution to the development of our national jazz music and made it known throughout the world.