Written by Thirty-eight years ago, Antanas Gustys started Vilnius Jazz, the oldest annual jazz festival in Lithuania’s capital. With a focus on French improvised music and US avant-garde jazz, this year’s Vilnius Jazz had many exciting moments to offer.
In quiet moments, the imaginary Mexico resonates through the theatre hall—the scent of lemons and the mystical atmosphere of Dia de los Muertos. Then it becomes brutally loud, wild, and unrestrained again. Perhaps this is when the omnipresent violence in the Central American country shines through. For example, when the Portuguese Luís Lopes ploughs through a freely improvised sound cosmos with loud, cutting sounds on his electric guitar. Bonbon Flamme is the name of the band on stage, led by French cellist Valentin Ceccaldi. The current programme is inspired by a trip to Mexico by Ceccaldi. Together with his compatriot Étienne Ziemniak, Belgian keyboardist Fulco Ottervanger, and Luís Lopes, a fiery band bursting with energy has been created, consisting of four great individualists who also touched the audience with beautifully quiet moments at the start of the 38th edition of Vilnius Jazz. With a wink, they also translated a ragtime piece by the king of ragtime, Scott Joplin, into the band’s own musical language.
Luís Lopes & Valentin Ceccaldi | Photo by Vygintas Skaraitis
The Lithuanian Improdimensija Orchestra, founded five years ago on the initiative of two masters of improvised music in Lithuania—saxophonist Liudas Mock?nas and pianist and percussionist Arnas Mikalauskas—also performed great improvisational music at the Old Theatre in Vilnius. It offered freedom, but also had structure. The compositions by Mock?nas and French guitarist Marc Ducret showcase all the freshness and diversity of ideas found in modern avant-garde music. Reinforced by Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser and French double bassist Bruno Chevillon, the large Lithuanian ensemble inevitably captivated the audience with its musical adventures.
With these two French musicians, one should not think in terms of categories. Pianist François Couturier and violinist Dominique Pifarély performed in Vilnius as a duo, playing their own compositions and a few well-known melodies, such as Jacques Brel’s very moving ‘La chanson des vieux amants’, far removed from listeners’ expectations. Is this imaginary folklore, improvised jazz, or romantic modern classical music? It is all of these things and yet none of them. Two magical musicians created emotional tone poems that touched the soul.
Wadada Leo Smith | Photo Greta Skaraitien
During the five concert days of the nine-day festival, which for the second time featured several cinema evenings with exciting jazz films before and after the concert days, there were still some memorable moments. For example, the duo of Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and 83-year-old US avant-garde jazz trumpet legend Wadada Leo Smith and their fragmentary, then beautifully flowing conversations—blending blues, darkness, silence, complexity, unwieldiness, harmony, and dissonance—created dazzling moments. Or with the Llaki Trio, three young Lithuanian improvisers playing bass, drums, and saxophone, who invited two guests to join them: Slovenian saxophonist Luka Žabri? and Bolivian flutist and vocalist Flavia Huarachi. Controlled chaos, wild interplay, but also really beautiful songs, hypnotic grooves, and melodies that simply wouldn’t leave your head after the concert ended—these five young artists were definitely a positive festival surprise with their self-proclaimed punk jazz.
The Young Mothers | Photo Greta Skaraitien
With the performance of The Young Mothers, festival organiser Antanas Gustys programmed a furious and perfect finale after five long days of concerts. Founded in Austin, Texas, the sextet led by Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten plays rousing music that truly deserves to be described as ‘cross-border’. Is it possible to pack even more into music than jazz, funky grooves, prog rock, broken beats, rap, electronica, and free improvisation—and still sound wonderfully direct despite the sometimes complex structures of the pieces? That, too, is simply brilliant about this band.
Incidentally, the festival’s competition for young talent, Vilnius Jazz Young Power, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. Once again, young Lithuanian jazz bands, some reinforced with musicians from other countries, presented themselves to an interested audience. Together with the late-night concerts in a cool music club behind Vilnius railway station on three evenings, Antanas Gustys ensures that interest in ambitious jazz music and his festival will hopefully not wane among the younger generations.
Last modified: October 29, 2025
