35 years later, the audience of "Ronnie Scott's" will have the opportunity to appreciate a new original music program "Latvian-British Evergreens", which this time will include jazz arrangements of Latvian and British folk songs. Maris, keyboardist and harmonica player Raimonds Macats, pianist Viktors Ritovs, double bassist Andris Grunte and saxophonist Kristaps Lubovs will also be joined by recognized local English singer Džesika Radcliffe, who is known to Latvian listeners as a participant in the jazz talent competition "Riga Jazz Stage 2016" and has performed together with our Latvian Radio big band.
The Māris Briežkalns quintet has also been fascinated by playing folk music in jazz before. In 1997, the Contemporary Music Center released the album "Kur tu teci", with the participation of trumpeter Gunārs Rozenbergs and saxophonist Raimonds Raubiško, in 2005 the album "Latvian Evergreens" was launched, in 2010 it was followed by "Latvian Evergreens, Vol. 2", but last year the disc "Latgalian Evergreens" was released, with the participation of the folk music singer Birutas Ozoliņa.
Original programs presented in such a high-quality jazz performance have always been interesting for listeners abroad, as evidenced by the very successful concerts of the Māris Briežkalns Quintet in other prestigious concert venues of the genre - New York clubs "Blue Note" and "Dizzy's Club", Baryshnikov Art Center in New York, John F. Kennedy Performing Art Center in Washington, also at the Tokyo Jazz Festival and elsewhere.
"Concerts in such historically important places are always a big event in the life of every jazz musician," says Māris. “I'm excited to be returning to London's most legendary jazz club after a 35-year hiatus. And even more, I feel a sense of elation, knowing that for such a hardened audience we will perform pearls from our own heritage of folk songs."
"We are pleased to welcome the great drummer Māris Briežkalns, who is also known as a tireless promoter and curator of jazz in Latvia," emphasizes the program manager of the "Ronnie Scott's" jazz club Paul Pace, who was also a jury member of the "Riga Jazz Stage" competition. “He will present his well-established quintet in London, skillfully fusing his folk roots with a jazz sensibility, while respecting the melodic beauty of the original songs. And they will also be joined by a special guest, top-class UK jazz vocalist Jessica Radcliffe. I know that Mari has had a dream to return to Ronnie's club since 1989, so I am even happier to announce that this show is already sold out!"
The leader of the quintet, drummer and producer Māris Briežkalns has played percussion instruments on more than 60 music album recordings, performed and taught master classes in many countries, including Great Britain, France and Germany. Briežkalns heads the Contemporary Music Center and is the artistic director of the music festival "Rīgas Ritmi". He is the head of the Latvian Radio Skaņu recording department and was also the artistic director of the Latvian Radio big band for many years.