Asef Zeynalli was born in Derbent. He studied at the Baku Music Technical School (1923-1926), the Composition Department of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory (1931, Uzeyir Hajibeyov's class).

He worked as the head of the music department at the Turkish (Azerbaijani) Workers' Theater (1929-1931) and the chairman of the Azerbaijan Proletarian Musicians' Union.

Tofig Guliyev and Gara Garayev were his students for a while.

The first romances in the history of Azerbaijani music are associated with his name.

Despite his 23-year life, he left an indelible mark on national musical art.

He is the founder of national romance, piano and symphonic music. The romances "Olkem", "Sarhadchi", "Chadra", "Sual", "Seyran" are the pearls of our national vocal music.

He is the author of the series "Children's Suite" for piano, the play "Chahargah", "Mughamsayagi" for violin and piano, 2 fugues, "Fragments" for symphony orchestra, music for theater performances, folk songs.

He compiled a textbook called "Elementary Notation Literacy".

He also composed music for the works of Jafar Jabbarli "Sevil", "Return", "Flame" by Kh.Nazirli and S.Rustam, "Hind gizi" by A.Hamid, "City of Winds" by V.Kirshon, which were performed in the Turkish (Azerbaijani) workers' theater, and for the first time in the history of Azerbaijani music with the work "Children's Suite".

The romance "My Country", composed to the words of Jafar Jabbarli, is considered his most famous work.

He wrote down notes about 70 folk songs.

He traveled to Karabakh to collect samples of Azerbaijani musical folklore, and there he became seriously ill. He was bedridden and returned to Baku for treatment. While in the hospital, he wrote his last symphony on the wall of his room and asked his brother to transfer his work from the wall to paper. Unfortunately, no one fulfilled his last will. Asaf Zeynalli died in 1932. He was buried in the Chambarakand cemetery, and later transferred to the "Gurd gapisi" cemetery.