Jānis Ivuškāns’ sound laboratory

A.S.N.S. — a blossoming of a bud: a rapid development of «Liepāja Music orchestra»

In early June, Liepāja city’s new musical activist, trumpeter, arranger, and composer Jānis Ivuškāns released his first album. The album featured a new musical ensemble titled «Liepāja Music orchestra», which has become Jānis’s sound laboratory where he got to create music that is fresh and new. J. Ivuškāns, in recent years, has already proven to be a very good arranger of classical and popular music, and also as a composer, but this time he has put all of his efforts into composing a four-part suite titled «A.S.N.S». This, in turn, once again proves that Liepāja is a place that has good music, fresh ideas, and creative growth in abundance. The question I would like to ask the composer is whether the title of the album is an abbreviation that has to do with the names of the parts or does it have a deeper meaning.

The musicians that played in this album are well known in the world of Latvian classical music; a great part of them has been performing with the Liepāja Symphony orchestra for years, but some are respected jazz musicians. Despite the fact that this album combines styles of music that are very different from one another, the musicians managed to achieve perfect synchrony and painted a fascinating soundscape. As the composer himself admits — he has had the idea to write music for a whole rhythm section from the very beginning. But wind instrument parts, percussions, and electronics were layered during the recording process. I suspect that the main reason for the electronics being in this album has something to do with one of the musicians featured — Ritvars Garoza being heavily involved in both the recording process and in playing.

The first time I listened to this album was while driving home from my farmhouse. The car was filled with conversation, but the music caught my attention, held it, and pulled me in without letting go. Hints of the «third stream» genre can be clearly heard in the music; this jazz stylistic intertwined with the programmatic parts of the suite. Both genres contrast each other well, it makes the listener want to flow away on the wave of thought the music evokes. The instrumentation Jānis has chosen deserves special mentioning; he has perfected his knowledge throughout the years spent working with the Liepāja Symphony orchestra.

The first part of the suit, titled «Apmātība» (Haze), has a charming intro played by a string instrument group. A riff played by the bass clarinet (played by Kārlis Catlaks) complements the intro perfectly. In fact, this part of the suite is mainly based on various riffs — one is performed by the piano and the bass, and another is layered on by wind instruments. The second part of the suite — «Savāds sākums» (A different beginning) — has a masterfully played flute solo (Egija Sproģe on alto flute), which flows through the whole composition while also playing the central theme in unison with the piano. The low timbre of the alto flute perfectly fits the mood of the tune. At the end of this part, we can hear an expressive drum solo performed by Pauls Ķierpe. The third part, named «Nekā jau nepietrūkst» (There’s nothing missing), is written in ⅞ time signature. Elements of «drum and bass» reminds me of some action movie that features some dramatic events. Ritvars Garoza demonstrates excellent improvisation skills, his solo is followed by one of Jānis Ivuškāns on the trumpet with the use of electronic effects. The solo part is followed by a theme played in unison by a piccolo flute and a clarinet; it creates a lyrical deviation before the music comes back to the original theme. The final part, «Saprast ļauj» (Let me comprehend), radiates light and positivity from the very first notes. It perfectly illustrates the character of this part. While listening to this part, I got the feeling that the main line would be perfectly performed by a vocalist, and the lyrics would fit well. The middle part of the composition features a beautiful «tutti» part for the trumpets, but the bass clarinet part is equally vital — both instrument groups create a dialogue where the trumpet and the clarinet take turns in expressing themselves. All in all, the four parts of the suite are interconnected; one complements another while creating a complete piece of music.

In my opinion, it is with naming every musician that has participated in the album. Viola — Katrīna Anna Pelnēna, violin — Annija Endija Kolerta, cello — Krišjānis Gaiķis, piccolo flute, alto flute, flute – Egija Sproģe, clarinet, bass clarinet — Kārlis Catlaks, trombone — Artūrs Hrustaļovs, trumpet, flugelhorn — Jānis Ivuškāns, keyboards — Ritvars Garoza, bass — Mārtiņš Zālīte, drums — Pauls Ķierpe, percussion — Marta Kauliņa and Rūdolfs Kolerts.

Jānis Ivuškāns is one of the main improvisers on this album, but Ritvars Garoza also entices with his masterful improvisations. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to hear also other instruments playing such solo parts, it would definitely enrich the soundscape.

The album is available on every streaming platform. It brings me joy to know that this work has also been published on vinyl because, in my opinion, it is important for music not to be available solely in the digital space. It has to live on such nostalgic sound mediums that bring a special kind of joy to listeners that love to hold music in their hands; I am definitely one of those people. The presentation of the vinyl will also give a chance to see and hear all the musicians live, to enjoy all the compositions live. I think that listening to such compositions in an outdoor setup would be enticing, even more than in a concert hall. One option would be the lakeside, the same where the «Liepāja Music orchestra» has already performed with different musical projects. I would enjoy listening to this music in a live performance; I would be curious to find out whether it was possible to recreate the exact sound without inviting additional instruments because I could clearly hear several trumpet and other instrument layers.

The design of the album also deserves special mentioning; the picture is very catchy and makes one look closer and pay more attention to it. The design was made by Madara Pilipa-Matisone, with graphics by Krista Namniece. I wish «Liepāja Music orchestra» and Jānis Ivuškāns to never stop creating new music and exciting projects. This genre will definitely enrich Latvian music scene.