Results for "Latvia"

Arta Jekabsone

Born: May 29, 1995

New York City-based Latvian singer, composer, and arranger Arta Jēkabsone is recognized for her velvety tone. Arta engages listeners with an emotional and honest, adventurous, and joyful expression of music. Her awards include a 1st place win at the prestigious Montreux Shure Jazz Voice Competition 2016, 3rd place at the 10th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Voice Competition 2021, 2nd place at Mid- Atlantic Jazz Voice Competition 2017, and 3rd prize at Ella Fitzgerald International Vocal Competition 2019. Recently, Jēkabsone was awarded The Jazz Gallery Residency Commission Grant 2021/2022.  In 2023, Jēkabsone received the highest form of state recognition in the field of music, the Latvian Music Award “New Artist of the Year 2022”.  ASCAP Foundation recently recognized her with an honorable mention in the 2024 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards and in May 2024 she concluded her artist residency at The Church  in Sag Harbour.

Jelgavas Big Band

Jelgavas's big band is one of the basic values of the Latvian jazz music–union of professional musicians with history and traditions since 1991. From the beginning and also now the art director and conductor is Raitis Ašmanis and under his leadership the band mostly performs jazz standards and music of popular latvian and foreign composers. Over 25 years Jelgava’s bigband regulary has performed in various towns in Latvia and also had been in concert tours all over the world – Baltic states, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Peru

Evilena Protektore

Born: November 14, 1984

Evilena Protektore is a jazz singer from Latvia, graduated from Jazz Department of Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music with a Masters degree and has stayed there as a jazz vocal teacher. Has spent a year studying in Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia (Italy) with prof. Maria Pia de Vito and taking part in a vast amount of projects with local musicians, and half a year in Hannover (Germany) with prof. Romy Camerun. In 2016 received a Nic Gotham prize for the contribution to jazz music and jazz life in Latvia. Participated in various festivals and projects: “Jazz in Latvia” compilation album, “Pori Jazz” (Finland), “Limassol Jazz” (Cyprus), “Live in Blue Bay” (Ukraine); and contests: Riga Jazz Stage (Latvia), “Nomme Jazz” (Estonia) and got a Grand Prix award at “JazzVoices 2014” (Lithuania). Evilena has collaborated with Lynn Seaton (USA), Rob Duguay (CA), Inga Berzina (Latvia), Serge Junior Robinson (United Kingdom), Tommaso Troncon (Italy), Fil Straughan (UK), Andreas Stefanou (Cyprus), Andreas Rodostenos (Cyprus), Nicolas Tryphonos (Cyprus), Leonid Nesterov (Cyprus), Tie Pereira (Brazil), Aviv Kohen (Israel), Gilad Abro (Israel), Anne Geertsen (DK), Onur Mulayim (TR), Gianmarco Tommai (IT), Federico Santoni (IT), K.Trio (NL). Since 2005 Evilena is a vocalist, composer and leader in Latvian funk band "Pieneņu Vīns", together with this ensemble has participated in a vast amount of festivals and events, gaining a solid place on Latvian music scene

Rigas Ritmi 2017

by Bruce Lindsay
July 12, 2017

Rigas Ritmi Festival Riga, Latvia 27 June-July 1 July 2017 Rigas Ritmi, held in Riga, the Latvian capital, for the past 17 years, always provides an intriguing mix of well-known and up and coming acts. The 2017 festival proved to be no exception to this rule, with pianist and MONK'estra leader John ...

Alaska Dreamers Release New Video: "About You"

February 3, 2017

It's not everyday you hear about musicians from Latvia. Alaska Dreamers have crafted a sound that is accessible and powerful at the same time. What started as the experimental music duo of Reinis Ozolins and Rudolfs Dankfelds would grow into something much larger, to become the ambitious mob of a band that they are today. Fronted ...

Take Five With Edgars Cirulis

by AAJ Staff
August 13, 2016

About Edgars Cirulis: Edgars Cirulis is an up and coming pianist and composer from Latvia. This year he released his first album Ainavisti - with a group he created and is leading since 2014. Edgars is currently studying at Jazepa Vitola Latvian Music Academy, doing his second year of bachelor studies. Outside his regular ...

Rigas Ritmi 2015

by Bruce Lindsay
July 14, 2015

Rigas Ritmi Riga, Latvia July 1-4, 2015 The 15th anniversary of Rigas Ritmi was celebrated in fine style in Latvia's beautiful capital city. Māris Briežkalns, the festival's artistic director, had programmed Latvian artists and internationally-known musicians in a mix of large and small, old and new, venues. From the mediaeval ...

Rigas Ritmi Festival: Riga, Latvia, July 3-6 2013

by Bruce Lindsay
July 15, 2013

Rigas RitmiRigaLatviaJuly 2-6, 2013Latvia's Rigas Ritmi 2013 was the 13th edition of this compact but always intriguing celebration of music--or, more precisely as the title indicates, a celebration of rhythms. The distinction is important for although jazz is at the heart of the festival it shares the spotlight with other styles. ...