In 2001, the Norwegian group "Jaga Jazzist" released the disc "A Livingroom Hush", which was announced by the British broadcaster BBC as the best jazz album of the year. One of the songs on it is called "Lithuania" - Lithuania. What's more, the world's most popular online music streaming platform, Spotify, claims that this dreamy tune is the Jaga Jazzist's most streamed track ever.
Why did world-renowned Norwegians record a piece about our country? We will soon find out: at the invitation of "Vilnius Mama Jazz", this group is coming to our country for the first time to perform. The audience will hear it at the Lithuanian National Drama Theater on the evening of November 17.
Jaga Jazzist is a heady, unpredictable Nordic wonder that embodies the spirit of experimentation, interweaving electronics and live improvisations. Each album from this band sounds different from the last, and has for over two decades.
Jazz, rock, electronica, hip-hop - everything can be found in the work of this group. The musicians themselves mention one of the most interesting British pop groups of the last few decades, Talk Talk, and jazz legend John Coltrane among their inspirations.
"Jaga Jazzist" appeared in 1994, when the offspring of the Horntveth family - brothers Lars and Martin and sister Line - decided to play together.
Lars was only fourteen at the time. The talented teenager grew to become the main composer of Jaga Jazzist, and his brother and sister still play in the group today. Thirty musicians managed to stay in the ranks of "Jaga Jazzist", but five of the eight who stood at the beginning of the group are still playing in the group today.
In 1996, the group self-published their first album "Grete Stitz", which featured light jazz with a lot of humor and rap elements. The record paved the way for Jagga Jazzist to the clubs of Oslo and other Norwegian cities, and then the band's career gained dizzying momentum.
After the influential British publishing house "Ninja Tune" became interested in the Norwegian group, its music spread all over the world - finding a place in the collections of popular DJs and in the programs of jazz or even rock festivals.
The albums "A Livingroom Hush" (2001) and "The Stix" (2003) established the group as one of the leaders of the Nordic nu-jazz genre, although in fact the music of "Jaga Jazzist" is much more diverse.
Intricate playing of instruments, sounds reminiscent of a movie atmosphere, lyrics and unbridled musical ambition led the band and continues to lead them on unexplored paths. For example, in the album "One-Armed Bandit" released in 2010, recorded with famous JAV John McEntire, a member of Tortoise, plays music close to progressive rock. This recording was awarded the Spellemannprisen award, Norway's equivalent of a Grammy statuette.
2013 was marked by another bright adventure - a concert album recorded with the famous British chamber orchestra "Britten Sinfonia". And then Lars Horntveth moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote music for a couple of years, inspired by the American environment, nature and everyday experiences.
Other members of the band kept coming to his house to make it public - this is how the band's latest album "Starfire" was born in a few recording sessions, already called a masterpiece by critics and the work closest to jazz by "Jaga Jazzist".
"When a star burns up in the Universe, it emits neon gas. But the girl's figure on the signboard of the strip club also shines with neon", - the band's musicians present the colorfully cosmic, but at the same time earthly idea of the new album.
If this were a regular band, we could guess that in Vilnius we will hear tracks from the new album and maybe this and that from her old arsenal.
However, there is nothing in Jaga Jazzist's music that makes them a regular band. Ahead of this year's US tour with ambient music luminary Tycho and renowned electronic music producer Todd Terje (who, by the way, helped record Jaga Jazzist's latest album), the band pulled off another surprise this summer with the release of Prokrastinopel, recorded with Swedish guitarist Reine Fiske of the psychedelic rock band Dungen.
It is assumed that the debut of "Jaga Jazzist" on the "Vilnius Mama Jazz" stage will be one of the biggest discoveries of the festival. Maybe the group will also remember a song about Lithuania in their concert?
At the "Vilnius Mama Jazz" festival, music will be heard not only in the theater hall, but also in the lobby, where representatives of music publishing houses, bookstores and shops will operate, cozy relaxation areas will be located, and it will be possible to feel the pulse of current jazz and learn about its hottest news. On November 18, "Dziazo vitrina" will also move here from club "Tamsta". Everyone events LNDT lobby on November 17-19. will be free.
The organizers of "Vilnius Mama Jazz" advise those who want to hear all the projects of the big stage to buy a "Festival Passport", which will allow access to paid events for a minimal price. In addition, the holders of this "passport" are invited to the opening ceremony of the festival at the Umiastovskii Palace on November 16. 19 p.m. Latvian band "Very Cool People" will be waiting for guests here concert and festival opening hums.
Tickets to festival events and "Festival passports" are distributed by "Tiketa". More detailed information about the festival is available on the website: http://www.vilniusmamajazz.lt/.
