26 years in jazz

Saulkrasti Jazz knows how to grow afresh, bring legends, inspire the youth, and delight audiences of all ages.

As every year—except during the pandemic—the Latvian seaside once again hosts its annual jazz marathon, known as Saulkrasti Jazz. This summer, the festival marked its 26th anniversary, with the very first edition dating back to 1997. It’s incredible and admirable how much effort has gone into building and sustaining something like this. Full respect to the festival’s founders—two drummers, Raimonds Kalniņš and Tālis Gžibovskis! And now, the circle of drummers has expanded with a third: Mareks Logins, who, for the second year in a row, has taken on the leadership of the festival’s camp.

The festival itself consists of three parts: concerts, the camp, and the Baltic Drummers League. When it comes to concerts, it’s not easy to surprise the local audience anymore. But with Saulkrasti Jazz, listeners can be sure of one thing: only the very best step onto that stage. That’s why the Saulkrasti open-air stage is always packed during festival nights.

Something truly special, in my opinion, is the camp, because that’s where the next generation of jazz musicians is shaped. It’s where children discover jazz, learn about improvisation, test their skills, and perhaps decide to dedicate their lives to the art form. And then there’s the Baltic Drummers League, the only event of its kind in Latvia—a competition that determines the most skilled drummer in the Baltics under the age of 25. The contest is organized in collaboration with Yamaha and Paiste, offering the best drummers from Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia the opportunity to compete for the grand prize provided by these companies.

However, the philosophy of the competition is slightly different: the organizers insist it’s not a battle against one another, but rather a celebration where musicians learn from and inspire each other. Competition turns into inspiration, a challenge not against others but against oneself—to grow, to improve, and to become more than you are.
This year’s finalists from the three countries once again met on the Saulkrasti stage: Jonas Filmanavičius from Lithuania, Aron Talu from Estonia, and Marks Markus Ābelītis from Latvia. It was Ābelītis who went home with the grand prize—his choice of either €1,000 or a fully covered trip and participation in jazz masterclasses at one of Saulkrasti Jazz’s partner festivals abroad.

Our magazine covers the festival every year, so let’s continue the tradition and take a look at my impressions of this year’s concerts and masterclasses. Let’s begin with the camp!

The Camp

As mentioned earlier, the very first festival in 1997 also featured the very first masterclasses. Since both founders were drummers, it’s no surprise that the very first sessions were devoted to drums. After that initial success, the program expanded to include bass—because we all know drums and bass are the best of friends, the foundation of every band, the rhythm section.

By 1999, the third edition of the camp offered a full range of musical functions, including drums, bass, guitar, piano, wind instruments, and vocals.

I myself first took part in the festival back in 2006, and I remember clearly the feeling of being in some kind of magical world where everything a heart could desire was present: a warm, friendly community, a mix of levels from beginners to professionals, all supporting, encouraging, and inspiring one another. I remember dreaming then about one day joining the faculty—and that dream came true last year. This summer it happened again, and now, for the second year in a row, I’ve been one of the teachers helping young musicians take their first steps in jazz.

This year, the faculty expanded to six teachers: I taught vocals, Anna Vibe-Gorkuša piano, Artūrs Sebris saxophone, Pēteris Liepiņš bass guitar, Āris Ozols guitar, and Mareks Logins drums. The number of students also grew, and on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the audience had the chance to hear the young artists’ performances.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise for me was that the audience wasn’t only made up of parents and friends—it also included locals who simply came to support the kids and teenagers. That is extremely important for them: to see that people genuinely care, that others enjoy what they are doing. And of course, it all takes place on a big stage, for real. Maybe some of them will want to return to jazz—and maybe for good.

And if the students’ concert was sweet and heartwarming, the evening concerts of the festival were not only musically outstanding but also full of pleasant surprises!

Koncerti

Overall, this year the festival offered two concert days. That may sound like less—usually there are at least three—but the organizers chose to prioritize quality over quantity to please the audience.

On the first festival evening, the stage featured three ensembles: the winners of the Guoyu pa JAZZ competition, the Login/Wibe Quartet, and finally, Linda Kanter together with the legendary Fred Wesley & The New JBs.

Guoyu pa JAZZ Competition Winners

The international ethno-jazz competition Guoyu pa JAZZ was founded only two years ago by the Art Education Competence Centre Latgale Secondary School of Music and Art. Its mission is to highlight the traditional values of the Latgale region and weave elements of folk music into contemporary genres.

This year, all three Baltic states were represented, with more than 60 participants (six ensembles from Latvian music schools and one each from Lithuania and Estonia). After long and heated jury discussions, the ensemble Bruoļi i Muosys from Latgale was ranked second, though with the same number of points as the winners.

The group was formed by combining students from the traditional and jazz departments, each passionate about their own style but unafraid to step across borders and experiment with «neighboring chords.» Their shared dream is simple: to keep playing together. That’s what inspired their name, Bruoļi i Muosys («Brothers and Sisters» in Latgalian). Despite their different backgrounds, they not only coexist but also find strong musical synergy.

Ensemble members:
Madara Arbidāne — vocals, percussion
Eduards Geikins-Tolstovs — piano, synthesizer
Daira Ikstena — vocals, percussion
Jadviga Mežniece — kokle, flute, vocals
Damians Pavlovičs — drums, percussion
Ērika Ruhmane — violin, vocals, percussion
Ieva Sutina — vocals, percussion, synthesizer
Kristaps Višs — double bass, bass guitar
Teachers: Liene Brence, Mārcis Lipskis

At the festival, they performed their competition program, enriched with new arrangements and original pieces. By the festival’s end, this group stood out as one of the most memorable. Their passion for both jazz and Latgalian folk music was unmistakable—and they also made a striking visual impression, performing in modern yet traditional Latgalian-inspired outfits.

Login/Wibe Quartet with Linda Kanter

The second group of the evening presented an international collaboration: part of the festival’s own faculty joined forces in the Login/Wibe Quartet, with a special guest from Estonia, Linda Kanter.

The lineup featured Mareks Logins (drums), Anna Wibe (piano), Pēteris Liepiņš (bass guitar), and Āris Ozols (guitar). Joining them was Linda Kanter from Tallinn, an active vocalist and pianist.

The group describes themselves as: «Rich, rhythmic and harmonically layered original works, performed with each musician’s deep individual experience»—a description that fits the performance perfectly. Anna’s compositions and playing style stood out from what we often hear in Latvia, perhaps because she studied in Estonia, where she also formed her friendship with Linda. There, she not only learned from local teachers but also drew inspiration from international colleagues who shaped her musical taste and sound. The result was a performance that felt fresh and exciting.

Fred Wesley & The New JBs

The third and final act of the evening was the undeniable highlight: the legendary trombonist Fred Wesley & The New JBs.

First came the thrill—finally, to hear him live in Latvia! Then came sheer admiration—Fred Wesley is 81 years old, and what a way he still plays! I think every musician in the audience must have felt at least once during the concert: «I wish I could play like that at his age.»

The audience was also full of musicians, and no one could sit still. The energy pouring from the stage made everyone dance. The lineup that evening was:
Fred Wesley — trombone
Bruce Cox — drums
Dwayne Dolphin — bass
Peter Madsen — keyboards
Reggie Ward — guitar
Gary Winters — trumpet
Jay Rodriguez — saxophone

But the most critical moment, in the context of the festival and its camp, was the surprise I mentioned at the beginning of this article. Remember what I said about the importance of the younger generation feeling supported by experienced colleagues? This was that moment.

Already from the very first performance, when the Guoyu pa JAZZ winners played, I noticed members of Wesley’s band in the audience—listening attentively, the entire set. Afterwards, backstage, I met some of them, and they told me something along these lines: «Wow, your young musicians play so well! Such beautiful music, melodies, all those complex time signatures… We don’t know how to do that—we just keep it simple, on the four…» And if only you could have seen the young musicians’ faces when they heard that kind of encouragement from legends…

The next concert evening began with another youth performance and, simultaneously, an international collaboration — this time between Lithuania and the USA: the Young Lions Jazz Orchestra.

The ensemble has its roots in the sister-city partnership established back in 1996, bringing together teenagers from two continents united by their passion for jazz. In Omaha, the orchestra draws its members from the prestigious Metropolitan Area Youth Jazz Orchestra (MAYJO) — a group of the region’s top high school musicians, sponsored by the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) School of Music. Joining forces with them are outstanding young Lithuanian musicians from the Šiauliai Saulius Sondeckis Gymnasium of Arts. Together, they form the US–Lithuania Young Lions Jazz Orchestra, embodying a shared commitment to excellence in music education.

The orchestra’s conductor is trombonist Pete Madsen from Nebraska, already well-known to us in Latvia thanks to his visits to the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and the Saulkrasti Jazz Festival. Their program featured both jazz standard arrangements and some unexpected touches — including accordion and Mediterranean-flavored pieces. Overall, it was a powerful start to the evening.

Next came Estonian jazz vocalist Sofia Rubina, very familiar to Latvian audiences. We’ve heard her perform traditional jazz, soul, and popular music; she has shared the stage in Latvia with Raimonds Pauls, the Latvian Radio Big Band, and her own ensembles. We’ve enjoyed her performances both in grand concert halls and in intimate clubs, and each time she surprises us with something new.

This time, she brought her program, «I Am Soul,» her latest album, released on vinyl in December 2023. The set included both Sofia’s original compositions and arrangements of works by such icons as George Duke and Chick Corea. She was joined on stage by Janno Trump (bass), Dmitri Nikolajevski (drums), Artis Boris (piano), and Kristen Kütner (guitar). The radiant Sofia, with her velvety voice, did not disappoint!

And as the cherry on top, the phenomenal finale of the festival: Ola Onabulé with the Latvian Radio Big Band.
The British–Nigerian singer and songwriter introduced audiences to his latest studio album, Point Less. According to Onabulé, the album focuses on his views about social injustice — a theme that has always been central to his creative work. Across its 14 original tracks, Point Less addresses themes of violence, immigration, xenophobia, betrayal, and dignity, while simultaneously celebrating life and warning against the social forces that threaten it.

This performance was brimming with emotion. The artist’s voice lifted you out of your body and carried you into the vast universe of art. It was a vivid experience, and surely no listener wanted the night to end.
And so — magical, emotional, and with a smile — the 26th Saulkrasti Jazz Festival came to a close.