🎷 Zuzeum is pleased to invite you to an evening of jazz improvisation on Wednesday 31 July at the Great Exhibition Hall.
📅 Wednesday, 31 July at 19.00, entrance from 18.00
📍 Great Exhibition hall, Zuzeum
🎟️ Ticket Price: €18 (includes admission to the exhibition) and are available at zuzeum.com and bilesuserviss.lv
Toms Mikāls – piano
Kārlis Auziņs – tenor saxophone
Yurii Natsvlishvili – double bass
Rinalds Maksimovs – drums
Join us for an extraordinary evening of music and art as Ukrainian and Latvian musicians come together to celebrate the legendary American jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. This unique performance will transport you into the vibrant world of jazz improvisation, seamlessly blending live jazz with the artworks on display in the ‘Straight, No Chaser’ exhibition. Experience the concert in an acoustic and open format, allowing you to explore the exhibition hall and discover how the music interacts with the surrounding art.
Thelonious Monk (1917–1982) was an influential American jazz pianist and composer known for his unique improvisational style and distinctive approach to rhythm and harmony. Monk became a pivotal figure in the bebop movement of the 1940s and wrote many compositions that are now considered jazz standards. Monk’s playing was characterized by its angular melodies, dissonant harmonies, and innovative use of space and silence.
The exhibition title ‘Straight, No Chaser’ draws inspiration from Thelonious Monk’s iconic song and reflects the improvisational approach to exhibition creation by La Méditerranée. Much like a saxophone player practicing scales alone in his studio, an artist often works in solitude. However, when artists and musicians come together something entirely new and unique emerges.
Toms Mikāls is a versatile pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator known for his ability to perform and merge various musical genres. As an experienced live performer and studio musician, he brings a high level of musical quality to any setting. Toms leads a jazz quartet that plays original music and participates in multiple projects across different genres. In 2021, he released his EP ‘Teikas’, featuring four piano pieces inspired by various things, places, and people.
Kārlis Auziņš is a prominent saxophonist and composer in contemporary and improvised music. He holds a master’s degree from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and a bachelor’s degree from the Amsterdam Conservatory. In 2024, his ‘double trio’ concert at M/Darbnica was celebrated as the ‘Musical Event of the Year’ on Latvian National Radio 3 and nominated for the ‘Kilograms Kultūras’ award for jazz music event of the year. His album ‘Still Nature’ and collaborations have received nominations at prestigious music awards, including ‘Zelta Mikrofons 2024’. Kārlis has performed with renowned musicians like Carsten Dahl and Michael Moore and continues to lead and contribute to diverse projects across Europe.
Yurii Natsvlishvili is a Ukrainian musician, composer, and bass player who began his musical journey as a violinist. He studied at S. Prokofiev Music College in Donetsk and won the “DoDj-2003” International Ukrainian Jazz Junior Competition. After earning his bachelor’s degree in 2013, he moved to Kyiv, becoming a prominent figure in the Ukrainian jazz and pop scenes and collaborating with artists like Oleg Skripka, Gaitana, and Kosheen.
Rinalds Maksimovs, a Latvian drummer and composer, has a rich background in diverse musical genres. He studied jazz at the Riga Dome Choir School in Latvia and music performance at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. During his time in Denmark, he performed with notable Scandinavian musicians like Jacob Anderskov, Tomas Franck, and Anders Christensen. Now Rinalds is developing a drum solo program that explores electronic music. He has also collaborated with leading Latvian indie rock and pop bands such as Juuk, Kautkaili, and Dj Krankenwagen.
🎟️ Ticket Price: €18 (includes admission to the exhibition). The tickets are available online at www.zuzeum.com and bilesuserviss.lv as well as Biļešu serviss ticket counters. The purchased tickets cannot be returned or exchanged.
Both seated and standing tickets will be available at the concert with no reservations. Arrive on time, to take the most comfortable seat.
Concert starts at 19.00, entrance from 18.00 – come early and enjoy your favorite drink at the Zuzeum Cafe.
* By attending this event, you agree to have photos or videos of you taken for Zuzeum marketing purposes. You can refuse to be photographed or filmed by informing the photographer or cameraperson.