Birštonas Jazz Festival 2022: the herald of freedom and peace returns

Jazz lovers from all over Lithuania come to Birštonas resort every two years as if to jazz. It wasn’t until 2020 because of the pandemic that it didn’t happen. The audience here is attracted by new jazz names and creative experiments of famous masters, which are abundant in the program of this festival.

Many prominent jazz personalities of the country started their creative path here, the jazz virus spread from Birštonas to other Lithuanian cities. The first jazz festival in the country, which started 42 years ago, aroused the hope of freedom in gloomy times, and in the face of the threat of war, it will once again become a herald of freedom, testifying to our openness to the world.

"Let the blue sky and the bright yellow sun inspire us as a flag of freedom and peace," said Zigmas Vileikis, the director of the festival and the director of Birštonas Culture Center.

He was delighted that the pandemic had not dispersed the festival’s long-standing team of organizers, had not affected its distinctive traditions, and for loyal jazz pilgrims, it remained the most anticipated event of the jazz season.

Many interesting things await them in Birštonas this spring. Maestro Dainius Pulauskas will perform here with the acoustic group for the first time, jazz and academic music virtuosos Jievaras Jasinskis will unite here, Dmitrijus Golovanovas and Janas Maksimovičius will present the recently released album, and multi-instrumentalist Remigijus Rančys will surprise with his new role.

Discoveries promise international teams. Viktorija Pilatovic, a vocalist and composer from Klaipėda who is still little known in the country, will present her Spanish quartet, drummer Augustas Baronas will play with Italians and Tunisians, and we will see Kęstutis Vaiginis, a regular participant of the festival, in a new international group.

"We want to rejoice together with the audience that the music of our jazz composers is appreciated not only in Lithuania, but also abroad," emphasized Z. Vileikis.

The Danish violinist and composer Line Kruse will perform the author's program with Kaunas Big Band. A selection of foreign virtuosos - the quartet of Tamara Obrovac, one of the most prominent European ethno-jazz singers in Europe, will add unique colors to the palette of the festival.

It is symbolic that the festival will be started by the Klaipėda Jazz Orchestra, which played at the Birštonas Festival and in the 1980s, and will be accompanied by the rising star of New York jazz scenes, vocalist and composer Nicole Zuraitis, who has created arrangements for this performance.

Another participant of the first festival, Arvydas Jofė, returns after a long break with a new amplitude - as the leader of a large ensemble - with a program of African color. The team of Vilnius College, this time inspired by the renowned sound artist Vytis Puronas, will breathe new life into Birštonas.

Free jazz masters Liudas Mockūnas and Arnas Mikalkėnas will present a unique phenomenon of our jazz sky - the "Improdimensional Orchestra". His debut, canceled due to the Pandemic 2020 Festival, has been awaited in Birštonas for two years. Instead, now that he has gained concert experience, the ensemble will share the stage with one of the most famous and interesting French jazz personalities, composer and guitarist Marc Ducret.

The debut of the festival is also gratifying: guitarist Mindaugas Stumbras with his quartet and the energetic young band Castor Stetson will perform for the first time.

More than one and a half hundred improvisers will perform at the festival.

"Entering the fifth decade of the event, we are proud that the Birštonas Festival has not become a commercial one, it has always been and remains the first stage of Lithuanian jazz composers, which stands out among other festivals with its stylish visual image," said Z. Vileikis.

The history of Birštonas Jazz Festival will be introduced to the listeners by a traditional, constantly retrospective photo exhibition.

More about the festival: https://birstonasjazz.lt