On October 12-16, the only contemporary jazz and improvisational music festival "Vilnius Jazz" in Lithuania returns to the capital, being held for the 36th time. He will present a whole host of selected personalities of the world of music from JAV, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Morocco, Lithuania and will end not traditionally on Sunday, but on Monday.
"Vilnius Jazz" has firmly entered the world map of contemporary jazz festivals. Many musicians plan their European tours based on it, and some specially come to Vilnius for a single performance. This is evidenced by this year's projects.
Hamid Drake, one of the world's most influential avant-garde jazz percussionists, is returning to the "Vilnius Jazz" stage, this time accompanied by the very unique British jazz talent saxophonist Shabak Hutchings and Moroccan "gnawa" music nurturer Majid Bekk. The trio reunited for the first time for a European tour, preparing a mesmerizing mix of black soul, African melodies and dance riffs and energetic swing.
The dinosaur of avant-garde jazz, Famoudou Don Moye, drummer of the legendary US collective "The Art Ensemble of Chicago", will not be outdone by the "Vilnius Jazz" stage, who has prepared for a new trip around the world with like-minded people. Pianist Brian Marsella, a companion of the famous avant-garde player John Zorn, will come specially from the USA with a solo program.
And the festival will start on Thursday with an evening dedicated to the "Improdimensijos" movement, the program of which will revolve around one of the inspirations of this movement, Lithuanian jazz saxophonist Liudas Mockūnas and his projects with the unique Swedish saxophone great Mats Gustafsson and an international trio. Festival visitors will be the first to purchase the new duet album by M. Gustafsson and L. Mockūnas, recorded in the legendary Vilnius record studio. The performances of the luminaries of "Improdimensijos" will be "warmed up" by the rising stars - the innovative Lithuanian trio "Fleitų 3".
We will hear live the compositions of the new albums of one of the most outstanding free jazz and avant-garde clarinetists, French Louis Sclavis, Portuguese jazz star drummer Mario Costa. M. Costa's quartet will be joined by US trumpeter Cuong Vu, who has already shone on the "Vilnius Jazz" stage several times.
The great Lithuanian intrigue is the return of drummer Marijaus Aleksas to the "Vilnius Jazz" stage after a 24-year break. Once, at the age of 13, he started here on the path to great jazz, and now in a solo program he will unfold the baggage accumulated during his impressive career,
The festival will also feature names that are completely new to the Lithuanian audience, and widely used in the jazz scene. Among them are leading American and European saxophonists Lakecia Benjamin and Mette Rasmussen, who bring original programs and their own groups.
For the 18th year in a row, the finalists of the jazz competition "Vilnius Jazz Young Power" will compete in the daytime concert of the festival on Sunday. The organizer of the festival, Antanas Gustys, was happy that the geography of the competition is expanding - musicians from Šiauliai successfully participated in it this year.
"Vilnius Jazz" is a festival of discoveries. We constantly strive to expand the horizons of the audience both through the musical experience and by introducing interesting interviewees", emphasized A. Gustys.
To continue the tradition of meetings, this year he invited a lecturer from France, Thierry Quenum, who will hold an open lecture on the development of European jazz on October 14 in the Old Theater of Vilnius.
During the festival, the audience of the Vilnius Old Theater foyer will be greeted by the photo exhibition "Stuck in Jazz" by photographers Greta and Vygintas Skaraičiai. And after the main program on October 12-14. lovers of improvisation are invited to nightly performances of youth jazz groups and jams in the live music club "Opera Social House" (J. Lelevelio str. 4). A special international project awaits them here: one of the most famous Spanish saxophonists, Jesús Santandreu, together with the students of the LMTA jazz department, will present a program specially prepared for the Vilnius Jazz Festival.
The main concerts will take place in a traditional place - the old theater of Vilnius (13 J. Basanavičiaus str.). The intimate and cozy atmosphere of this theater frees the imagination of the creators and inspires them for an intriguing dialogue with the audience. All evening concerts start at 19:XNUMX.
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
