Mats Gustafsson | The Vilnius Explosion | No Business Records

Mats Gustafsson : baritone and slide saxophones, alto fluteophone | Liudas Mockunas : soprano, tenor and baritone sax, bass clarinet | Eugenijus Kanevicius : bass | Arkadijus Gotesmanas : drums | Marijus Aleksa : drums

Tracklist: 1. Untitled (Just Say No) 2. Untitled (We don’t Remember) 3. Untitled (Shield) 4. Untitled (The End)

Total time: 55:45. All Compositions by Gustafsson (STIM), Mockunas (KODA), Kanevicius (LATGAA), Gotesmanas (LATGAA) and Aleksa (LATGAA). This record has been made possible by generous support of UAB “Vanvita” and UAB “Garsu pasaulis”. Great thanks to them. NoBusiness Records NBCD 1, 2008, edition of 1000 cd’s.

Recorded feb 9th 2008 at Vilniaus Mazasis Teatras * mixed by Liudas Mockunas and Arunas Zujus at MAMA studios * mastered by Jakob Riis and Liudas Mockunas at Hobby Workshop studio * titles inspired by Felix Gonzalez – Torres (1957 – 1996) * photos by Olof Madsen and Dmitrij Matvejev * design by Oskaras Anosovas * Text translated by Max Micheliov * Executive producer – Danas Mikailionis * Co-producer – Valerij Anosov * Sound producer – Liudas Mockunas & 2008, NoBusiness records

This CD is not an ordinary recording

of an ordinary music event. You are about to listen to a spontaneous collaboration between one of the most innovative artists of the Scandinavian modern jazz stage Mats Gustafsson and Lithuanian masters of free improvisation. Together they create a number of unique soundscapes of ultimate beauty, tenderness and yet capable of emitting streams of energy. A project which aroused from Mats’ passion for vinyl and a casual acquaintance on the web has developed into a marvellous music feast which once again proved that dedication to music along with improvised approach can bring to reality even the most fabulous ideas. The concert which took place in a cosy premise of Vilnius “Small” theatre became a remarkable event of the city cultural life. Aura of unity in the concert hall and the perfect contact with the audience can be sensed even on the recording. Liner notes by Jurate Kucinskaite

Mats Gustafsson

Mats Gustafsson is an author of a unique sound philosophy and true explorer of music. His art is a brave, free and to the bone sincere creative act – altogether philosophical and full of earthy expression. In his own words: “standing with one leg in the punk/garage bucket and the other in the free jazz/improv bucket” Mats draws a lot of raw energy from his punk rock roots constantly looking for challenging projects within any genre. As a performer Mats Gustafsson has got a wide acclaim for his extremely diverse approach to the instrument (baritone saxophone in the first place) and highly distinct technique. Indeed his manner of playing is rich in bluesy cries altered with whispers, sharp whistling as well as percussive and microtone effects. With such an impressive tool kit Gustafsson has created a number of exciting solo recordings. He has played with: Paul Lovens, Derek Bailey, Barry Guy, Ken Vandermark, Peter Brotzmann, Joe McPhee to name a few. From now on the list of his collaborations is being enlarged with 4 names of musicians from Lithuanian.

Liudas Mockunas

Devoting most of his time to performing with various international groups, Liudas Mockunas is hailed as an ambassador of Lithuanian jazz. He is a multi-reeds player and composer, whose name stands for masterly performance and intriguing compositions. His ‘natural’ idiom is an explosive mixture of free jazz, lyricism and expressionism combined with highly unconventional performance techniques. His in-depth exploration of the properties of sound and possibilities of harmonic series lead to an innovative and personal approach to wind playing techniques. This allowed him to escape from stylistic conventions and form an entirely original style, distinguished for multi phonics, expressive discharges of sound, over bends and unusual sound effects. Trained as a jazz and classical musician, Liudas Mockunas has a deep understanding and practical knowledge of both fields, the boundaries of which he traverses back and forth in his own compositions.

Eugenijus Kanevicius

Eugenijus Kanevicius is one of the most versatile Lithuanian jazz bassists, who feel comfortable with the most diverse styles – from radical free to melodious mainstream. To expand the timbre range of acoustic and electric bass, he employs various electronic additions, trumpet, percussion and voice. His playing attests to a refined harmonic and polyphonic thinking, and his original compositions reveal a distinctive musical philosophy, especially in his sacral jazz projects. In his career as jazz musician, spanning now two decades, Eugenijus Kanevieius has performed with nearly every musician on Lithuanian jazz scene as well as with his international partners. He also appears solo, writes hymns and music for kids, theatre and film.

Arkadijus Gotesmanas

Arkadijus Gotesmanas is a drummer and percussionist of remarkable versatility and creativity, widely known performer of free improvisational music. Born in the Ukraine, he has lived and worked in Lithuania for the past 30 years and appeared in concerts with Petras Vysniauskas and Vyacheslav Ganelin (as Trio Alliance), with Liudas Mockunas, also performed solo. Since 1994, he has been core member of the Dainius Pulauskas Group. For his performances he has often drawn inspiration from the poetry, theatre and dance. He also performs contemporary academic music (including works by Lithuanian composers Anatolijus Senderovas, Faustas Latenas and Sarunas Nakas) and appears at new music festivals, writes scenarios for musical performances and installations, composes music for theatre and plays it live during performances.

Marijus Aleksa

Marijus Aleksa is one of the youngest Lithuanian jazz professionals and the youngest member of the recorded quintet. Despite his age Marijus Aleksa has accumulated a weighty experience of performing on stage. His precise technique and musical flexibility together with good ability to hear partners made him a drummer of choice for musicians who belong to various music camps. Marijus Aleksa feels equally home playing traditional jazz, fusion, funky, hip-hop and their blends. Critics call him one of the most distinct and promising Lithuanian drummers.

Mats Gustafsson | The Vilnius Explosion | no business records

 

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