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Liudas Mockūnas

Liudas Mockunas Lithuanian reed player (born in 1976) during the last years has become an important figure on Lithuanian jazz scene, is a representative of a young Lithuanian jazz generation, he is a mature and experienced musician who has played in many parts of Europe, USA, Israel, Turkey and China. Mockunas graduated from Lithuanian Musical academy in 2002 MA degree and Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen in Denmark in 2005, MA degree. He has won several classical competitions in Lithuania and Latvia. Together with trio M.A.P: Jacob Anderskov (piano) and Stefan music in Poirtiers, France. He has released 7 albums on his name and 15 as a sideman including Andrew Hill's Jazz Par Octet". LIudas album "Toxikum" featuring Marc Ducret and John Tchicai ("ILK" recods), which he released with Danish drummer Stefan Pasborg has won Danish grammy "Jazz Discovery of the Year 2004". He also got three prizes in Lituania: Vilnius Jazz Prize 2006, Birstonas Jazz Prize 2008 and Musicians Union Prize "Golden Disc" in 2008. The creative interests of L Mockūnas are focused on improvised music and experimental jazz stage. He is a co-leader of bands "Toxikum", "Red Planet", "Traffic quartet"," Baltic trio", "Megaphone", "Saga Quartet", Mockunas- Ducret Duo", Mockunas – Hojito Duo and "Revolver". He is a member of "Copenhagen Art Ensemble" and new music ensemble "Gaida", collaborates with Marc Ducret, V.Chekasin, Mats Eilertsen, Jaak Sooaar, Mikko Innanen, Dietrich Eichmann, Chordos String Quartet, Piere Dorge and his "New Jungle Orchestra". He has played with Swinging Europe big band, Andrew Hill, Scott Colley, Nasheet Waits, Mats Gustafsson, Jeff Arnal, Vladimir Tarasov, Mike Svoboda, Petras Vysniauskas, Vladimir Chekasin, Ryoji Hojito, Barry Guy, La Villet Jazz Festival Big Band featuring "World Saxophone Quartet"… Mockunas also works in a New Academic music field. As a soloist performed with Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra a concerto for soprano saxophone by Arvydas Malcys, concerto for tenor saxophone by Arvydas Malcys with chamber music orchestra "Kamerata Baltica", and a piece by Anatolijus Senderovas for two jazz soloists and a symphony orchestra performed by Krylovi Hradec Symphony, Liudas Mockunas and Vladimir Tarasov. Works regulary with string quartet "Chordos".

Since 2004 Mockunas teaches saxophone and ensemble at the Lithuanian Music Academy Jazz Department in Vilnius. He is one of the founders of "Lithuanian Jazz Federation", also one of the founders of Lithuanian improvised music record label "No Business Records".

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Album Review

Hugo Carvalhais: Ascetica

Read "Ascetica" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Venerable Portuguese bassist Hugo Carvalhais' “Ascetica" is a mesmerizing journey into the depths of progressive jazz, offering a soundscape which is vast and immersive, crafted with meticulous attention to detail. Carvalhais and his ensemble, create a polygonal musical environment through a blend of electronic manipulations, ambient soundscapes, springy synth riffs, and forceful sax soloing, often raising the temperature and broadening the scope. With blossoming jazz improvisations amid pulsating rock motifs, they occasionally generate fluctuating time signatures and slippery phrasings.

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Album Review

Liudas Mockūnas / Arvydas Kazlauskas: Purvs

Read "Purvs" reviewed by Mark Corroto


If you need evidence that the very first musicians, our evolutionary ancestors, made sounds to imitate nature, Purvs may be the proof. The Latvian and Lithuanian saxophonists Arvydas Kazlauskas and Liudas Mockūnas made two recordings, one in an open air Latvian bog marsh which makes up the first LP of this release and the second LP in an amphitheater made of peat, called Saulgrieži (summer solstice), by the Latvian artist Janis Gutans-Grass. Mockūnas may be the better known ...

6
Album Review

Nate Wooley / Liudas Mockunas / Barry Guy / Arkadijus Gotesmanas: Nox

Read "Nox" reviewed by John Sharpe


Nox presents a four-piece uniting two of Lithuania's finest improvisers, reedman Liudas Mockunas and drummer Arkadijus Gotesmanas, with two world class instrumentalists, trumpeter Nate Wooley and bassist Barry Guy. Recorded at the 2019 Improdimensions Festival in Vilnius, the limited edition LP (also available as a download) contains three collectively sculpted tracks, demonstrating a unity of purpose which belies their off-the-wall genesis. Gotesmanas' spare non-metric clatter and acute punctuation plays a defining role, enabling a transparent sound which ...

2
Album Review

Liudas Mockūnas & Arvydas Kazlauskas: Purvs

Read "Purvs" reviewed by Vitalijus Gailius


Purvs is a collaboration between two outstanding Lithuanian saxophone players, Liudas Mockūnas and Arvydas Kazlauskas. Despite being friends for a long time they have never played together before. The album was made in two parts. The first recording took place in the autumnal splendour of Latvian marshland, the second in an ampitheatre made of peat, named Saulgrieži (Solstice) and created by Latvian artist Janis Gutans-Grass. Two remarkable places to make a record, which is also special in that ...

4
Album Review

Agustí Fernández / Liudas Mockūnas: Improdimensions

Read "Improdimensions" reviewed by John Sharpe


As one of Lithuania's premier improvisers, reedman Liudas Mockūnas has partnered an enormous array of visiting luminaries over the years. The duet is a favored format which has seen the multi-instrumentalist in tandem with bassist Barry Guy, drummer William Hooker and guitarist Marc Ducret, just to name those documented on NoBusiness Records. Here the accomplished Catalan pianist Agustí Fernández acts as the foil. The limited edition LP (also available as a download) comprises two three-part encounters recorded ...

5
Album Review

Liudas Mockūnas: Hydro 2

Read "Hydro 2" reviewed by Mark Corroto


Hydro 2 is water music, but it's not to be confused with the orchestral pieces composed by George Frideric Handel back in the early 18th century. Lithuanian saxophonist Liudas Mockūnas is headed even further back in time, back to some Darwinian vision of evolution from the murky primordial seas, forward to our bipedal momentum. Note: If you happen to be a follower of creationism, you might want to skip forward a bit here. Mockūnas, who might be best known as ...

6
Album Review

Liudas Mockūnas: Hydro 2

Read "Hydro 2" reviewed by Vitalijus Gailius


Liudas Mockūnas, an iconic Lithuanian improvisation and jazz figure, still continues his exploration of water. By combining water and reeds he steps into an unpredictable and unique sonic meadow. His first attempt to put the bridle on water, Hydro, was released in 2017 by NoBusiness Records. At the end of 2018 the same label presented the second part, Hydro 2. Like its predecessor it is a solo record. Water and solo? On one hand that sounds promising, but on the ...

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151

Recording

Liudas Mockunas and Ryoji Hojito - Vacation Music (Nobusiness Records, 2010)

Liudas Mockunas and Ryoji Hojito - Vacation Music (Nobusiness Records, 2010)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland

This is an interesting album, two musicians from different cultures who find common ground in improvisation and make an exciting and thought provoking album in the process. Japanese pianist (also using percussion and voice) Ryoji Hojito met saxophonist and bass clarinetist Liudas Mockunas for an compelling musical dialogue. Recorded half in the studio and half in concert the performance begins with “Sunday" which is a short prelude for saxophone or bass clarinet and piano, with the music developing in a ...

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Recording

Kablys - Live at 11:20 (Nobusiness, 2010)

Kablys - Live at 11:20 (Nobusiness, 2010)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland

This free jazz group consisting of Liudas Mockūnas on tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, Eugenijus Kanevicius on bass and electronics and Dalius Naujokaitis drums was recorded live at the punk rock club 11:20 in Vlinius, Lithuania for this limited edition LP. The music is very fresh and exciting and the trio is locked and loaded, providing high energy music for an appreciative audience. “Hooked" opens the album with swirling saxophone moving in circular patterns and percussion moving very quickly in ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Ascetica

Clean Feed Records
2023

buy

Purvs

Jersika Records
2021

buy

Nox

NoBusiness Records
2021

buy

Improdimensions

NoBusiness Records
2020

buy

Hydro 2

NoBusiness Records
2018

buy

Plunged

Barefoot Records
2017

buy

Videos

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