Jazz Articles
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Kārlis Auziņš Double Trio: Equilibrium Suite
by Mark Corroto
Latvian saxophonist Kārlis Auziņš would never, we can assume, claim that his Equilibrium Suite stands as the equal of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1964). His reverence for Coltrane's seminal work is too deep. Still, listeners may find themselves drawing a natural connection--celebrating Auziņš's own modern spiritual statement, one forged with sincerity, originality and purpose. Auziņš may be most familiar to jazz audiences through his work with the exploratory quartet Mount Meander, which released two albums: Mount Meander (Clean ...
Continue ReadingToms Rudzinskis: Interception
by Mark Corroto
Even the most seasoned sommeliers can be caught off guard when presented with a wine from an uncharted region. That might be your first reaction to Interception by the Toms Rudzinskis Quartet. The Latvian-born composer and alto saxophonist offers a vibrant, nuanced session brimming with both tart and sweet tonal qualities. This vinyl LP (and digital) release follows his previous self-released works, the quartet album Abra (2014) and the quintet-led Abyss (2023). Accompanying Rudzinskis are pianist Alex Koo, ...
Continue ReadingKuba: Laukumi
by Vitalijus Gailius
A long-forgotten gem of the Latvian music scene has finally returned. The band, known as Kuba, is an ambient/jazz-rock/post-rock/krautrock--or, in a nutshell, nu-jazz--collective formed in 2001 that quickly became one of the brightest stars on the local scene. In 2002, the band released their acclaimed debut album, 15 Episodes of Kuba (Microphone). Later, Kuba began working on their second album, but in 2006, the band split up, leaving the album unfinished. However, they have reunited, and after 22 ...
Continue ReadingVadims Dmitrijevs Quintet: Integration!
by Mark Corroto
If discovery is an element, and most certainly it is if one is an adventurous listener, uncovering new talent motivates your listening habits. With a release like Integration!, the exploration is nearly effortless. For those not yet familiar with the label Jersika Records, the album is a Latvian production under the careful guidance of its chief Mareks Ameriks. For the technical nerds out there, Integration! was captured on analog reel-to-reel tape using a Studer B 67 ¼" two-track tape recorder ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: Live at the M/Darbnīca Vol.1
by Vitalijus Gailius
In 2017 a boom happened in Latvian and Baltic jazz history with the coming of Jersika Records, an independent jazz and improvised music record label. Since then, the Riga-based label has been delivering top-notch music records each year. Focusing mainly on Latvian musicians and bands with occasionally occurring exceptions such as Estonia-based American trumpeter Jason Hunter or Lithuanian saxophone virtuoso Liudas Mockūnas. Jersika Records has become a warm place for Baltic jazz. In 2023, Jersika Records released its ...
Continue ReadingVestard Shimkus / Endless Roar: Acclivity
by Vitalijus Gailius
Endless Roar is one of the most vivid bands in the recent Latvian improvised music scene. Formed in 2014 the trio, saxophonist Arvydas Kazlauskas, double bassist Stanislav Yudin and drummer Jachin Pousson, ventured through various genres (e.g. ambient, electroacoustic, rock etc.) before diving into free improvisation. In 2021 Endless Roar met up with internationally acclaimed classical pianist Vestard Shimkus. Eventually, the collaboration between Endless Road and Shimkus was documented with the album Acclivity (Jersika Records, 2022), recorded at the legendary ...
Continue ReadingAtis Andersons Organ Trio: Organic City
by Mark Corroto
With Hammond organ trios in the 21st century, everything old is new again, except in Latvia where Atis Andersons presents the very first Latvian Hammond organ trio recording in that country's history. Kudos to Andersons, guitarist Āris Ozols, and drummer Andris Buiķis, because Organic City fits perfectly into the traditions of soul, funk, and rock. Their music stretches back to recordings by Jack McDuff and George Benson, Jimmy Smith and Grant Green, Charles Earland and Melvin Sparks, and is as ...
Continue ReadingLupa: Koki // Sketches of Trees
by Vitalijus Gailius
Lupa is a Latvian four-piece band. Their music fluctuates between funk, soul, electronic and jazz. In 2019 Lupa released their warmly welcomed debut album, Sequences and Consequences (Jersika Records, 2019). Koki // Sketches of Trees is the follow-up. The album features eleven tracks with a heavy electronic influence. The band follows its debut aesthetic direction but with a more energetic, even slightly aggressive, attitude. While the use of keyboards and synths gives the Koki // Sketches of Trees ...
Continue ReadingTen Ka: Sonic Geometry - Structures, Patterns And Forms
by Vitalijus Gailius
Ten Ka means “fire of the sky" in Japanese. It's the project of composer and multi-instrumentalist Deniss Pashkevich, who is one of the leading figures on the Latvian jazz scene. Some see him purely as part of the John Coltrane tradition but this is not the whole story. While Pashkevich definitely is an adherent of Coltrane's spirituality, nevertheless he goes to different directions, expressing his own ideas within acoustic and electronic soundscapes. Here Pashkevich focuses on ...
Continue ReadingTen Ka: Sonic Geometry: Structures, Patterns And Forms
by Mark Corroto
Latvian saxophonist and composer Deniss Paškevičs normally has his feet firmly planted in the jazz domain. He has recorded excellent covers of hard bop classics and even reinterpreted John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965). But he also has the inclination to explore different sounds from funk to folk, free improvisation, reggae, and modal musics. With Sonic Geometry: Structures, Patterns And Forms he takes on the nom de plume Ten Ka, in Japanese 天火, “meaning “fire from the sky." Here ...
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