Immortalizing the Latvian jazz scene

«Jersika Records» & «M/Darbnīca» present the result of the year’s work — a double album reflecting the development of Latvian jazz

13 concerts, completely analog recorded, without «alterations,» with laughter, applause, exclamations, and other jazz concert sounds — that can characterize the content of «Jersika Records» and «M/Darbnīca» double album. It literally immortalizes live moments, capturing the concert atmosphere, which only a limited number of listeners could enjoy in person. Perhaps some listeners didn’t even know they were attending one of those 13 concerts, but in the end, they happened to be part of a historic event because no one in modern Latvia had experienced something like this before. So, what is «LIVE AT THE M/DARBNĪCA vol.1 | JAZZ IN RIGA | LATVIA 2022 / 2023»? It is a selection of 13 compositions recorded in 2022/2023, available to the audience in November 2023, and already nominated both in the «Kilograms kultūras 2023» winter voting under the category of «Events,» and for the Latvian Music Record of the Year award «Zelta Mikrofons» as the best jazz/funk/soul album of 2023. Music journalist Vitalijus Gailius called this selection an «eloquent chronicle of the Latvian jazz scene renaissance,» Kaspars Zaviļeiskis described it as «capturing the ever-vibrant jazz sphere in Latvia» (K. Zaviļeiskis’ review can be read here), but as usual, I wanted to talk to the people responsible for creating a jazz compilation on vinyl for Latvia, released on a label that will definitely travel the world and show everyone that «we have» and «we can»! I suggest finding out more about how the idea came about and what significance, in their opinion, the album holds in the context of Latvian jazz, with Maia Moira Mazanova, the artistic director of «M/Darbnīca,» and Mareks Ameriks, the founder of «Jersika Records»!

First of all, congratulations on the nominations for the record! Secondly, congratulations on the release of the record in general! Who was the project’s initiator, and how did you come up with the idea to do something like this?

Maija: Mareks and I both felt it was a collectively understood and necessary event because the concerts at «M/Darbnīca» have been becoming increasingly vibrant and intriguing, and the quality of the programs improves daily. It’s clear that in the first year, you can’t expect great results, but with a slow pace and systematic work, both jazz enthusiasts and everyone else believed in us, and the program started to become diverse and interesting! The musicians are the best; almost all Latvian musicians have played here! Every time we listened to a concert, there was a thought, «If only this were recorded, wow, what a great concert!» And then Mareks came, we talked in the summer, and everything just fell into place so organically that here we are with the record!

Mareks: It was at Matīss Čudars’ summer concert, by now already well-known, awarded the «Lielā Mūzikas Balva»! In the summer of 2022, Maija and I talked, and she told me about her experience of being in jazz clubs in Denmark and seeing such albums — music recorded in the actual clubs. Meanwhile, I had been thinking at home for a long time about a compilation that could already be part of the catalog — years had passed, quite a few artists, and suddenly it clicked for me that, yes, there’s a jazz club where regular concerts take place, and that would be a great way to capture the time, as well as the music being played there at that moment! How cool would it be to go through the archives of «Hamlets» or «Allegro,» if everything was preserved and released in compilation form… That was the moment. It became clear quite quickly that it needed to be done, and the following week, we brought everything in. Kārlis Vanags was performing a concert with his trio, and we recorded it. In fact, the concept was to see how many concerts we could record, but it was immediately clear that it would be a double album to extend the timeframe.

How did you decide which concerts to include in the recording session?

Maija: We put together our own program, as usual — every Wednesday, we have a jam session, and before the jam session, there is exactly that set, 45 minutes, which is the length of a tape, that’s what we wrote down. Then, the jazz jam was just for the listeners, and it was a tape. I mostly put together the program; Mareks suggested some things, like Vestards Šimkus and «Endless Roar,» and we were thrilled about it.

Mareks: Actually, I don’t really interfere much in the «M/Darbnīca» schedule, but purely from a marketing standpoint, I think it’s good if one or two artists appear who maybe aren’t scheduled for a concert, but who have been on the label before — like «LUPA,» for example. With some minor program additions. As we will probably write the second part as well, it’s clear that the priority will be those artists who didn’t make it into the first part and to see how much we can record.

The album is recorded entirely analog, without further processing, apart from mastering. It’s quite a serious job, but it probably fits both the label’s concept and jazz.

Maija: Yes, Mareks has fantastic opportunities, together with Mārtiņš Krastiņš, who is a professional; the guys did it! I was even happier about it not being digital but analog because it suits jazz so well; it’s understandable why it’s analog. I am a big fan of analog technology in photography and vinyl records, so it was like honey to my ears and heart. In 2022, we started, and slowly, we progressed into 2023 until we released it; it’s a long process, of course.

Mareks: Each concert is one big tape, lasting 45 minutes, so a 45-minute concert is what we record, and then we choose from there which piece goes on the compilation. So, all those concerts are great and publishable, and in fact, we also plan to release Vadims Dmitrijevs Quintet this year, the album «Integration. Live at M/Darbnīca.» In jazz, many albums are recorded live in concerts, especially in the classic sixties.

A slightly broader question, perhaps, but the record’s content reflects contemporary Latvian jazz. How would you describe it, and why are such recordings necessary? Maybe it will also help predict our, so to speak, musical future.

Maija: Personally, I find the content very interesting, diverse, and colorful — it shows both new voices like Līva Dumpe, as well as something understandable and gentle with «The Hope» — the Ukrainian ensemble with Yuriy Natsvlishvili, and then, of course, Matīss Čudars with «Medus Bauska,» Kārlis Vanags with more classic jazz music, Kārlis Auziņš with avant-garde… The content reflects Latvian jazz so well! I eagerly await the second record because, in reality, there are so many good musicians who are not on the first one, but after listening to the first, it makes you look forward to the second.

Mareks: I think a bright future awaits us! Together, we could also open more doors to listeners here and around the world, and it’s more of a collaborative effort when someone records it, then that recording gets circulated and helps with touring, and so on because all these things are interconnected. The main thing is to have a common vision for everyone. But ultimately, everyone wins — both the listener and the musicians. Such recordings are also important in a historical context; they show the place and a part of the scene, and this kind of promo will always remain.

Maija: Certainly, such recordings are necessary because they showcase the diversity of the Latvian jazz scene, and, secondly, for every musician, every concert is recorded as a complete piece. It’s also a path for young musicians.