Starting next week, the 16th "Vilnius Mama Jazz" festival has prepared a strong program for the Main Stage. Its first outstanding highlight is the debut of one of the most interesting British concert groups, Get The Blessing, in Lithuania. This Bristol quartet, which has moved half the world, will start a jazz marathon on the stage of the Lithuanian National Drama Theater on November 17.
They are real heavyweights of the modern jazz scene, deservedly called "the most original and exciting British band" by journalists. The work of "Get The Blessing" is difficult to describe - it is like a playful, spontaneous, passionate and humorous conversation of free souls, maneuvering between post-jazz, progressive rock, experimental and pop music.
Among their inspirations, the men mention Tom Waits, Blondie, and playwright Samuel Beckett.
In addition, the musicians of Get The Blessing are closely connected to the trip-hop scene, after all, Bristol is famous as the trip-hop capital of Great Britain: it is from here that the flag-bearers of this genre, Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky come. Not surprisingly, critics find trip-hop elements in Get The Blessing's music as well.
The band's bassist Jim Barr and drummer Clive Deamer are members of Portishead's live line-up, and Get The Blessing saxophonist Jake McMurchie has also played with the band.
There's more to the musical history of Get The Blessing's big-name members. For example, C. Deamer has played in the legendary psychedelic rock band Hawkkind, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant's band Strange Sensation, played with Alison Moyet, Roni Size, Jeff Beck, Siouxsie Sioux and other music stars. What's more, he has been a member of the concert line-up of the famous British band Radiohead for several years.
J.Barr has also played with such rock legends as Peter Gabriel, and trumpeter Pete Judge is noted as a creator of soundtracks for film and television.
These four creative musicians started playing music together in 2000 - the composition of the group has not changed at all in 17 years, which proves that they are really looking in the same direction.
Get The Blessing's debut album All Is Yes, released in 2008, won the BBC Jazz Award. "We are complete outsiders and punks," the foursome said at the time. A decade later, that's still true.
Their goal is to surprise, shock, impress, maybe even make you angry, but first of all, to have a good time yourself. Musicians joke that they are inspired by crab soup, cake and household cleaning products, and cover their faces with plastic wrap in photo shoots. With their music, they aim to "recharge" the jazz world.
The men wittily described their 2009 album Bugs In Amber as "a post-jazz soundtrack to Andrei Tarkovsky's imagined low-budget James Bond movie starring Buster Keaton."
Their disc "OC DC", released in 2012, was also surprised by a special guest - a true British legend, Robert Wyatt, a former member of the "Soft Machine" group, who does not get involved in joint projects very often, helped to record one track.
Last year, Get The Blessing released their fifth album, Astronautus, dedicated to the memory of their inspiration, legendary jazz visionary Ornette Coleman, who died that year.
Their latest album features more electronic sounds and seems more subtle than the band's previous work. But the joy and improvisational adventures did not diminish.
It's possible that the performance of "Get The Blessing" will completely change the perception of the audience that they know a lot about musical genres. Going to them a concert, all preconceptions are best left at the doorstep.
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. "Jazz Showcase" will also move here on November 18. 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/.
