How awesome it is to feel the groove

Andris Buiķis on spicing up the big band music composition with some more energy

«Cik labi» («So good») — this is the name of the album which was presented by the Latvian Radio Big Band, drummer and composer Andris Buiķis, and singer Aija Vītoliņa in the final of the new composers’ big band composition contest. Although the album was released by the most popular big band in the country, there was surprisingly little resonance, which seemed strange and unfair to me. Before drawing any conclusions, I listened to the album first — the result did not disappoint. Firstly, the big band itself is highly professional, and the quality of the music is always top-notch. Secondly, Buiķis’ signature style was clearly heard in the music — synthesizers from the 70s and 80s, an excitingly groovy rhythm (not without reason; the original name of the program was «Feel the groove»!), interesting and intricate harmonies that still sound harmonious and easy to listen to. Thirdly, Aija Vītoliņa is a powerful singer who has been noticed in various projects and has proven that she is ready for all kinds of experiments, which she usually handles very convincingly. Singing Buiķis’ music is nothing new for Vītoliņa, so it’s unsurprising that she has also conquered this program. I think this project should sound loud and clear multiple times so that everyone knows it can also be done in such a cool way. However, somehow, after the presentation and a couple of articles in the media, the project remained only in the form of an album on streaming platforms. Pity. Therefore, I decided to remind our magazine readers that there is such music to listen to! Plus, I absolutely believe that this album has much greater significance than just a newcomer in the LRBB discography — this is original music for the Latvian Radio Big Band in Latvian, which is a unique cultural product both in the domestic market and abroad. Jazz always seeks something unique, fresh, and new — that’s it!

Therefore, I offer to listen to the album, which is available freely on all known platforms, and to read my conversation with the music author Andris Buiķis!

The album is called «Cik labi»; on it, you can hear your music performed by the Latvian Radio Big Band and Aija Vītoliņa. Whose idea was it to create such a project?

Kārlis called me. I had just released my first album, «Green», and apparently, Kārlis had heard about it, and I think he liked the idea that the music was a bit crazy. He asked, «Andris, do you want to write for a big band?» Of course, the first moment was a bit of a shock because I had synthesizers, but there was a big band. I said — well, it will be a challenge, but you [Kārlis] will tell me how to write for a big band, right? He sent me the instrumentation, and I started listening to those big band records that I liked — there were Phil Collins and Buddy Rich, of course. I understood that it’s not my thing… I was more inclined towards funk, and then I started writing. But yes, initially, the source of inspiration for me was Kārlis. Initially, the offer was to write a few songs for a festival. I said — okay. Then, of course, when you get down to it, you have that «oh-oh» feeling! There are all those trumpets until you understand how to put all the voicings together, everything else. I realized that it’s not like sitting down during the day and writing notes; it’s a very challenging job. But I really liked it! Very creative work! I wrote five pieces, then thought: «Okay, if I wrote five, I’ll write five more, and it will be an album»! I talked to Kārlis, and he agreed. I sat down a second time, plugged in, and there were ten pieces!

Plugged in? [laughs]

Yes! I plugged myself into writing because writing the first five tunes is quite a challenge. For five months, maybe half a year, I was working nonstop. I needed to plug in that second energy flow!

I see. So, where did you get the lyrics from?

I was looking for various poets and went to the library. I wanted to do everything in Latvian, I really like doing everything in Latvian. The competition, I realized, is unrealistically huge when writing in English. By the way, some pieces from this program were translated into English because we had to go to Lithuania for a festival. The texts were translated by the ambassador Ojārs Kalniņš, who has now passed away. Although he not only translated but also wrote completely new texts — wonderful lyrics. Maybe we would have released an English version if he had translated the whole album. It could be done, but that idea has not been discussed for now.

The album was presented at the final of the big band composition competition in the Spīķeri Concert Hall in winter, but I have not seen the CDs.

There are no CDs, but vinyl was considered. The album’s producer is Latvijas Koncerti; they designed the cover, and we released it digitally. I would really like to print vinyl records; we’ll see how it goes.

And the album features vocalist Aija Vītoliņa, with whom you have collaborated on various projects for a long time. Was it your idea to approach her specifically for this album?

We played a lot of music together. She is very professional and versatile, so I thought it would be cool to work with Aija. Initially, when Kārlis offered to write for a big band, it wasn’t meant to be songs, more like something instrumental. I thought — well, a big band is a big band, classic. But why not use songs from a big band? In the past, even in the Radio Big Band, Rozenbergs wrote for vocalists. But still, big bands are primarily instrumental.

There are many examples where vocals are involved in various ways. I would rather say that it’s more like a fifty-fifty split.

Yes, but there are many instruments and all sorts of parallel melodies; I would say it’s still more of an instrumental event. At least from what I have heard. Then, I thought writing songs specifically for it would be cool.

Did you choose the title of the album yourself?

The name is taken from one of the tunes on the album. Maybe I chose the name; I can’t recall now…

What is the album about?

About love, of course… As always! Nothing else. Many have asked me to reveal that message, but it’s not that big of a deal; it’s always about love. And about how I chose the poems: there is just a moment of emotion when you find the perfect one. I mostly start with poetry, not with music. I look at playing with words, and the main thing is that it doesn’t have to be a classical rhyming verse; it’s tough to come up with something interesting for that. I immediately see when a poem is a yes or a no. And when it’s a «yes», I wrap a melody, harmony, and intro around it… Basically, the text comes first, and there are a few poets I use, like Leons Amoliņš, Agnese Rutkēviča, Normunds Beļskis, and Jānis Damroze.

What about the rhythm of the text? Is it important to you? Or is the message of the poem at the forefront?

I like the storytelling aspect of poetry and the wordplay. It could be something romantic, perhaps, I like emotionally charged lyrics. I like a story, but I also like how that story is wrapped up; it is important. If it’s that rhyming «tara-rada-dara-ra, tara-dara-ra-ra», it won’t work, a flat rhythm, a march… Very difficult. It didn’t come easy, it took me a lot of time.

By the way, when did you start working on this project?

A year, maybe a year and a half ago. You see, it took me a while because it wasn’t the only thing I did at the time — I also wrote a new program for «LUPA» and a chamber orchestra, «Sinfonietta Rīga», so maybe even two years. Step by step, one day at a time, and now we have an album! So good…