Maksim Perepelica

New York City based internationally renowned and multi-awarded Latvian jazz bassist, producer, arranger, editor, and educator Maksim Perepelica is one of the brightest musical talents in his country as well as far away from its borders. He is the true artist with unique vision and understanding of music, deep knowledge of jazz idiom, big sound and strong rhythmic feel. He is one of the finest bassist on the scene whose passion and dedication to music has brought him over three continents including Europe, Australia and the United States, where he has performed at some of the biggest festivals, venues and concert halls, appeared on various TV and Radio programs, won several international jazz competitions, played and recorded with some of the greatest musicians in the jazz world: Steve Wilson, Alex Sipiagin, Valery Ponomarev, Manuel Valera, Edsel Gomez, Ron Jackson, Shai Maestro, Troy Roberts, Seamus Blake, Berta Moreno, Alina Engibaryan, Samvel Sarkisyan, Oscar Feldman, Jason Rigby, Silvano Monasterios, Leonid Ptashka, Taber Gable, Raphael Pannier, Kelly Green, Flavio Silva, Willerm Delisfort, Jordan Pettay, Franco Pina, Alana Sinkey, Naima Acuña, Yaacov Mayman, Aleksandra Mogilevich, Grace Garland, Ilona Kudina, Maxim Lubarsky, Edmar Castañeda, Gabriel Grossi, Park Stickney, Deborah Henson-Conant, Maeve Gilchrist, Rossitza Milevska, MTV EMA-winning band "Happyendless", Benjamin Herman, Ilja Reijngoud, Peter Beets, Simon Rigter, Johan Clement, Miguel Rodriguez, Jun Hyung An, Melissa Oliveira, Tuur Moens, Thomas Maasz, Juanma Barroso, Ruven Ruppik, Abel Marcel, Alex Correa, Viktorija Pilatovic, David Sancho, Jorge Vistel, Miguel Benito, Jorge Castañeda, Dani Juarez, Kestutis Vaiginis, Leonardas Pilkauskas, Viktors Ritovs, Toms Rudzinskis, Ivars Arutunyans, Arta, Jekabsone, Kaspars Kurdeko, Simona Smirnova among many others.

Often associated with Spanish multi-awarded saxophonist and composer Berta Moreno, Perepelica has produced and recorded her debut album "Little Steps" that won The Global Music Awards for the Best Album of 2017 and was nominated for the prestigious Independent Music Awards and Spanish "Premios MIN". He was also mentioned in globally renowned DownBeat Magazine as bassist and producer of the album.

Perepelica and Moreno have been regularly touring in Europe performing at some of the most renowned jazz clubs and music venues, such as Sala Clamores (Spain), Jimmy Glass (Spain), Circulo de Bellas Artes (Spain), Jamboree Jazz Club (Spain), Bilbana Jazz Club (Spain), Bogui Jazz Club (Spain), Club Matador (Spain), Espacio Turina (Spain), Taller De Musicos de Gijon (Spain), The Music Village (Belgium), De Doelen (The Netherlands), Theater Rotterdam Schouwburg (The Netherlands), Bird Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Dizzy's (The Netherlands), Jazz Cellar 11 (Lithuania), Punto Jazz Club (Lithuania), Saule Concert Hall (Lithuania), Pashkevich Jazz Club (Latvia), Great Amber Concert Hall (Latvia), Juras Varti Concert Hall (Latvia), Ventspils Cultural Center (Latvia) and many more.

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Perepelica is an active educator and teaching artist at prestigious Arturo O’Farrill’s “Afro Latin Jazz Alliance” (ALJA) non-profit organization based in New York City. He also gives clinics and masterclasses specializing in bass and ensemble playing around the world.

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Born in a small Latvian town of Ventspils Maksim Perepelica only discovered music in his teen ages. Enchanted by rich and powerful sound of an electric bass he once tried to play in a small music shop he decided to take private lessons of bass, music theory and ear training to transform his passion into a full-time career.

Right after finishing secondary school and having performed locally on various stages with an after-school music program band Perepelica moved to Lithuania to study jazz at Klaipeda University and Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy in Vilnius and play music professionally. During five years spent in the neighbor country he had become one of the busiest bassists in the Baltic area performing with MTV EMA-winning band "Happyendless", Evelina Sasenko's "Rendez-vouz", "Colder", Kestutis Vaiginis, Liudas Mockunas, Arturas Anusauskas, Vytautas Labutis, Andrej Polevikov, Paulius Zdanavicius, Darius Rudis, Augustas Baronas, Leonardas Pilkauskas, Giedrius Nakas, Laura Budreckyte, Daiva Starinskaite, Jurgis Bruzga, Egle Sirvydyte, Domantas Razauskas, and many others around the Baltics at various venues and international jazz and world music festivals, such as: Kaunas Jazz (Lithuania), Vilnius Jazz (Lithuania), Klaipeda Castle Jazz Festival (Lithuania), Birstonas Jazz (Lithuania), Be2Gether (Lithuania), Tallinn Music Week (Estonia), Baltic Beach Party (Latvia), Martisor (Moldova), Regeneratorius (Lithuania), Ventspils Groove Festival and Ventspils City Festival (Latvia) among others.

He also participated in National TV and Radio programs including LRT-2 music program "Improvizaciju Aleja" with Egle Sirvydyte and band; recorded and released popular singles with "Happyendless", "Colder" and Egle Sirvydyte; was a member of Lithuanian Jazz Federation.

After moving to the Netherlands in 2009 and having the honor of studying at Codarts Rotterdam University for the Arts with Hein van de Geyn, one of the best jazz doublebassists and educators in the world, as well as Marius Beets, Frans van Geest and Stefan Lievestro, leading double bass players of today worldwide, Perepelica quickly got involved in the Dutch and Western European music scenes. He also had the honor of playing with some of the greatest Dutch jazz musicians, like Simon Righter, Bob Righter, Kris Goessens, Peter Beets, Benjamin Herman, Ilja Reijngoud, Bart van Lier and Johan Clement among others.

Perepelica has been a member of "IJHF" (International Jazz Harp Foundation), working and performing together with the world class jazz harpists-virtuosos: Edmar Castañeda, Park Stickney, Deborah Henson-Conant, Maeve Gilchrist, Rossitza Milevska, Sabine Meijers, Brenda Dor-Groot and many others.

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Apart from that, Perepelica participated in Dutch TV and Radio music programs: RTV Rijnmond, "Virus", Omroep Zuidplas, as well as performed at international jazz festivals: Devonport Jazz Festival (Devonport, Australia), Babel Med Music Fest (Marseille, France), North Sea Round Town (the Netherlands), Leiden Jazz Festival (the Netherlands), Dordrecht Jazz Festival (the Netherlands), Zoetemeer Jazz Festival (the Netherlands), Jazz an de Gracht Festival (the Netherlands), Zommerterras Open Air Festival (the Netherlands), Haarlem Jazz Festival (the Netherlands) and more.

Maksim Perepelica is the winner of three international jazz competitions in the Netherlands: "Leidse Jazzaward 2011" with David Sancho Trio, "Dordtse Sena Jazz Prijs 2013" with The Hat Bangers and "Zoetermeer Jazz Concours 2013" with Kind of Brown Quartet.

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Since 2014 Perepelica has been living in New York City and performing in some of the most important venues in the city such as The Lincoln Center, Minton's Playhouse, Club Bonafide, ShapeShifter Lab, Joe's Pub, Fat Cat, Smalls, Mezzrow, Smoke, Zinc Bar, Luca's Jazz Corner, Made In NY Jazz Club, Terreza 7, The Kosciuszko Foundation, American Theatre of Actors, The City College of New York, Master Theater, Rockwood Music Hall, Queens Library, The Lexington Hotel, Tomi Jazz, Silvana, The Shrine, Williamsburg Music Center, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Cafe Vivaldi, Cleopatra's Needle, The Hudson River Museum Amphitheater, The Blue Door Art Gallery, Dwyer Cultural Center, The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center among others.

Awards

"Leidse Jazzaward 2011" with David Sancho Trio "Dordtse Sena Jazz Prijs 2013" with The Hat Bangers "Zoetermeer Jazz Concours 2013" with Kind of Brown Quartet "Global Music Awards" - Best Album 2017 with Berta Moreno's "Little Steps"