TENOR LEGACY: SEAMUS BLAKE /USA/ & DENISS PASHKEVICH /LV/

Since the year of 2016, jazz music enthusiasts are welcome to the Deniss Pashkevich Saxophone Festival “JAZZ ROOM” sessions. This time the session will unify two indescribable tenor saxophone players - Seamus Blake (USA) and our own Deniss Pashkevich (LV).

The New York based saxophone player and composer Seamus Blake is recognized as one of the strongest representatives of contemporary jazz. His music is known for its sophistication, bold improvisation and “sheer swagger”. In his lifetime Seamus has recorded and released many internationally acclaimed albums, as well as performed with powerful jazz artists, including Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. The way Seamus plays and one of his top albums “Live in Italy” have been described as “knockout” and “as exhilarating as a shot of espresso”. It is sure to say that this artist will not leave anyone indifferent.

Steeped in the tradition of John Coltrane, Deniss Pashkevich is a Latvian flautist & saxophonist, producer, ad-libber and educator with a profound calling. He is a prominent figure in the Latvian jazz scene and the Baltics with his name included in the European Jazz Tree. In his career he has gained international appreciation, becoming the official endorser artist for 5 major brands in Europe - Marca Reeds (France), Theo Wanne (USA), P.Mauriat (France), Kay Siebold (Germany) and Riga Winds. Deniss has participated in more than 30 recordings, one of which is a collaboration between Latvian and Danish musicians - the album “Yours Faithfully” that also featured one of today's most prominent pianists - Aaron Parks from USA.

Together with the outstanding tenor saxophone players we will hear the legendary Lithuanian percussionist Arkady Gotesman, who in the past years has also been active and successful in the field of literature and theatre, one of the leading Lithuanian pianists Dmitrij Golovanov, who is equally masterful on acoustic and electric instruments, and our own virtuoso contrabass player Reinis Ozoliņš.