So that valuable records are not lost for the future
The selection “Live at the M/Darbnīca Vol. 1” is an unprecedented project in the history of Latvian jazz, which collects analog tapes of current domestic and also some foreign colleagues’ concert recordings in the currently leading jazz concert venue in Riga – cultural space “M/Darbnīca”.
“The idea for such a selection came to us with Maija (artistic director of cultural space “M/Darbnīca” Maija Moira Mazanova – author) in the hot summer of 2022, when after the great concert of guitarist Matīs Čudars trio in “M/Darbnīca” we talked about the fact that, [Latvijas Mūzikas akadēmijas Džeza katedras vadītāja] in the words of professor Indrikais Veitner, only records remain. About how interesting and exciting it would be to hear, for example, what was played at the first Latvian jazz festival “KIKOK 1962” or what was played in the Riga jazz clubs “Allegro” in the 70s or “Hamlets” in the 90s, if only someone had recorded and published it. And so, it seems, the very next week we made a recording of the trio concert of saxophonist Kārlis Vanagas. It was the first of a total of thirteen concerts that we recorded from August 2022 to January 2023 under the direction of sound director Mārtiņš Krastiņš. We set up a small studio direction room in the backstage space of “M/Darbnīcas” and recorded completely analog, on magnetic tape,” says Mareks Ameriks, manager and producer of “Jersika Records”.
From Kārļis Vanagas to Vestard Šimkum
From these 13 jazz concerts, the record (it turns out that two) includes one piece from each. As a result, a diverse selection of modern Latvian jazz has come together, in which you can hear both “post-bop” and “neo-bop” styles, as well as spiritual and electric jazz, as well as experimental jazz and avant-garde, as well as funk and even “bluegrass”. All pieces are original music performed by leading Latvian jazz musicians, who have also involved friends from other countries in their performances.
A really wide spectrum is represented in the selection, starting from such experimenters as the Kārļis Auziņas trio or the “MASA” project, up to the king of vibrophones, Miķelis Dzenuškas, with his “Victory Boulevard”. There are very well-known names, such as the Kārlis Vanags group or the Matīs Čudars trio, but there are also names that are less known or completely unknown to a wider audience, such as the Paulas Pokratnieks quartet or the reviewer’s biggest white spot in this selection, Alisa Golovacka’s “Orbitron”. The same amplitude is also in diversity: there are compositions that everyone can understand, for example, the excellent “Elvis” of the band “Lupa”, the already mentioned “Medus Bauska” of the trio of Matīs Čudars or “Variation 1” of Atas Anderson, but there are also compositions that, due to their complexity, only with great pain can (or even cannot) listen to the end, and the most striking examples in this list are Vestards Šimkus with the “Endless Roar” ensemble, as well as Līva Dumpe’s sextet.
The jazz scene is proud of its new home
Of course, the word “Vol. 1″ immediately makes Marek Amerika grab the button and ask if this means that “Vol. 2”, etc., that is, whether this selection is planned to be turned into a traditional compilation of Latvian jazz music. Marek laughs that it’s basically more for self-discipline – as a reminder that such a sample has to be released at some point. Whether in a year or two, maybe earlier or later, that’s another question, but – it should be issued. A little later, at the press conference, he admitted that a new concert by the trio of Kārlis Auziņas has already been recorded, put on the shelf and waiting for the followers, but this in turn means that, like the first compilation, also “Vol. 2” selection could start directly with the composition of this group.
“”M/Workshop”, which has already become a second home for several Latvian musicians, is a place where the entire new cultural society of Latvia gathers together, because art is created here every day and evening. There are no such places anywhere in Riga. And I am very pleased that one of these art-making processes has been recorded by Jersika Records. I hope that this album, filled with new Latvian music, will travel the world and show as many people as possible what Latvian jazz is like!” emphasizes the young and promising trombonist Vadims Dmitrievs.
“The release of this record is a very important event for me personally, which symbolizes the freedom and creative spirit of our generation. I’m really happy that I managed to capture this time”, Maija Moira Mazanova, the artistic director of “M/Darbnīcas”, is happy about the new double board. “The new selection reflects a small part of what happens in “M/Workshop”, where the spirit of free art resides, and it is a value that must be protected,” summarizes pianist and composer Rudolfs Macats.
The most important thing – in 30, 50 or 60 years, no one will be able to whine and moan that “how exciting it would be to hear what sounded like in the 20s of the 21st century in “M/Darbnīki”, if only someone had recorded it and published it…” Here it is , here are! Recorded and released!
Rudzinskis is venturing into wider international waters
A couple of days before the presentation of the said record, another pearl of Latvian jazz music saw the light of day – the jazz quintet album of saxophonist and composer Tomas Rudzinskis had its premiere in the cultural space “Tu jau zini Kur”.
This concert took place as part of the Rudzinski Quintet’s Baltic concert tour, but the people of Riga were presented with a particularly solid offer of 12 people plus Toms himself, with the participation of the Danish electro-jazz rock trio “Kemaca Kinetic” (bassist Kenneth Dahl Knudsen, drummer Matias Fischer and Ukrainian guitarist Igor Osipov), home artists Rūdolfs Macatas (keyboards) and Kristīna Cīrulei (vocals), as well as the group of wind instrumentalists of the Latvian Academy of Music led by Professor Indrikais Veitner himself. In the first part of the concert, the music of “Kemaca Kinetic” was played, with the participation of Rudzinskis, Macat and Cīrulei, and in the second part – the new album with its 13 compositions “dedicated to the theme of mythology and the hero’s journey.”
“Abyss” was written at the end of 2019 and was produced until 2021, but its release was slowed down by covid and its reliable companion – the pandemic. Along with Tom, the album features musicians from the European jazz scene such as guitarist Igor Osipov (Ukraine), keyboardist Povel Wiedestrand (Sweden), bassist Tom Berkman (Germany), drummer Fabien Resch (Germany) and vocalist Mete Nadja Hansen (Denmark). “The record is recorded in the genre of “jazz fusion” and stands out with expressive melodies, strong rhythms and bright interplay of musicians,” it is announced. It should be noted that “Abyss” is also available in tangible, that is, in CD format with the design of the versatile Kate Elpo.
If someone is too lazy to listen to the whole album, then the almost nine-minute long “Captured” is the best, which has everything possible, including the elegant art of improvisation. On the other hand, the reviewer especially liked “The Chaos Of Being”, in which – well, yes, yes, you caught it! – there are more guitars. “Into The Abyss” sounded breathtaking at the concert, but everything sounded much more effective “live”. But in general – there are a number of beautiful songs here, so there’s nothing to do, you’ll just have to listen to the whole album!
Westerners come to us to record
On the other hand, this weekend, those interested are invited to participate and be present at the recording of a brand new record, in which three recognized European musicians of improvised, jazz and classical music – Lithuanian saxophonist Liuds Mockūnas, French guitarist Marc Ducret and Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser (Samuel Blaser).
European jazz virtuosos have joined together in the joint composition “Mockūnas – Blaser – Ducret Trio”. The recording of their album will take place on Saturday, December 2, in the hall of the Riga Reformed Church, which is used for the recordings by the legendary Riga sound recording studio. Among other things, it has undergone renovation and now continues to make high-quality recordings of Latvian and foreign artists in a new quality. This time, concert visitors will be something more than guests of the studio – they will also be able to see the renovated director’s room and learn about the record recording process, which will take place “live”, when the musicians play together, the sound director simultaneously performs the sound mixing and processing and records it on analog, magnetic tape. . This event should also be noted as unique for our music industry.
2023-12-02 03:15:09
#Jazz #Latvia #starting #gain #momentum
