October 12 at 19 p.m. The international festival of contemporary jazz and improvisational music "Vilnius Jazz" will be announced in the old theater of Vilnius with an evening dedicated to the movement of "Improdimensijos".
"Improdimensija" is a creative platform dedicated to experiments and education, where the brightest Lithuanian and foreign jazz stars and the young generation of improvisers meet. The most talented students of the Contemporary and Improvisational Music Master's Program of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater (LMTA) have already established themselves in the vanguard of this movement.
One of the founders of this program, the famous saxophonist and composer Liudas Mockūnas, started inviting foreign stars to share their experience with LMTA students, and at the same time to perform in the free jazz and improvisational music concert series "Improdimensija". All the participants of the first "Vilnius Jazz" concert played here.
Sąjūdis and the "Improdimensijos" orchestra also belong to three young generation flutists Mēta Gabrielė Pelegrimaitė, Salomeja Kalvelytė and Kristupas Gikas, who gathered a few years ago to form the ensemble "Fleitų 3", which will be the first to step onto the festival stage this year.
A few months ago, the trio released their debut album, where they immortalized their own a concert In the "Improdimensijos" cycle, opening a new page of improvisational music in the history of Lithuania.
The listeners' ears are used to hearing the gentle, soft tone of the flute, listening to the dreamy melodies played by this instrument, and "Fleitų 3" started to boldly destroy the classical image of this instrument.
In their performances, the ensemble immerses the listeners in the element of relaxing sounds, which they unexpectedly wake up with sharp flute overtones, dissonances and squealing sounds. Using not only the usual tonality, but also the bass and alto flutes, an extremely wide arsenal of advanced techniques, the musicians boldly explore the limits of the possibilities of their instruments.
The "Vilnius Jazz" evening dedicated to the "Improdimensijos" movement will be extended by two outstanding figures of free jazz and improvisational music, who have met several times on Lithuanian stages in the last decade. This is Swedish saxophonist Matsas Gustafsson, one of the most prominent names on the European contemporary music scene, and L. Mockūnas, the most prominent representative and nurturer of improvisational music in Lithuania.
Skilled instrument management skills, a wide arsenal of playing techniques and the courage to take risks - this is what connects these inventive researchers of saxophone sound, M. Gustafsson and L. Mockūnas. Squeals, hums, blebbers, sound extinctions, seas of tones and overtones, delicate games with instrument valves are just a small part of the extremely rich musical vocabulary of the duo.
Matsas and Liudas are indisputable masters of their craft, for whom the words "limits" and "impossible" do not exist. Playing saxophones and clarinets of different tones, and Mats also the flute, the musicians themselves draw the boundaries where they are comfortable. But even after reaching extreme heights, they manage to surprise both themselves and others by rising even higher.
The performance of M. Gustafsson and L. Mockūnas on the "Vilnius Jazz" stage will not only be an attempt to move up. The musicians will also present a new duet album recorded in 2022. in November at the legendary Vilnius record studio. Festival visitors will be the first to purchase the album.
L. Mockūnas will cause another explosive wave in the evening, diving into the element of free jazz with two equally colorful, uncompromising personalities - the American Tom Blancarte, one of the most unique double bass voices in the world, and the Danish percussionist Christian Windfeld.
Texas native Tom Blancarte has been active in experimental and improvisational music in bars for over two decades. In his hands, the double bass becomes a bulldozer, sweeping away any imaginations about the possibilities of this instrument. With various experimental music groups, the bassist tours extensively in Europe, Japan and North America, playing both underground scenes and important international festivals.
Danish improviser, percussionist and composer Christian Windfeld also has an expressive playing style. The artist has won many awards and scholarships, recorded more than 30 albums as a leader, and released two solo albums.
After the stormy main program of improvisations, the party will move to the festival night club "Opera Social House" at Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (J. Lelevelio St. 4.).
The project is financed by the Lithuanian Council of Culture and Vilnius city municipality.
Tickets for Vilnius Jazz 2023 events are distributed by Bilietai.lt
