Photo by Vadim Kozhin
About me.
From a notepad filled with holes that came from tears to an opportunity to play with my musical idols - that is how I could summarise my path in music. The clarinet I so hated in my childhood serves me beautifully now while I hold my well-earned place in the big band.
When I graduated from my clarinet class at the age of 15, I started learning the saxophone, and that is when Raitis Ašmanis introduced me to the wonderful world of jazz music. My journey began in his youth big band, and soon, he persuaded me to enroll in music school. At that point, I got the opportunity to play with a professional ensemble, “Jelgavas Big Band”, that was led by the very same R. Ašmanis, and it was a fantastic place to study outside the music school since I got to learn from my older colleagues. I must add that I still am a part of this big band.
Also, the knowledge I got from my music school teacher Eduards Raubiško (the son of the famous jazz saxophonist Raimonds Raubiško). I also consider listening to music a significant influence on one's personality's growth and is an immense help in understanding the particulars of a specific music style; I am eternally grateful to my idols for helping me with that - Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Michael Brecker. I enjoy listening to my extensive collection of albums released on vinyl in my free time.
I started my bachelor studies in JVLMA, where I was a student in the jazz department; my teachers were Indriķis Veitners (the head of the jazz department) and Kārlis Vanags (the artistic director of Latvian Radio Big band). At the same time, I am also a teacher at Jelgava Music School, where I get the chance to work with future jazz musicians.
The love I have for big band music and arrangements fascinates me the most in jazz. I have traveled to many countries with the big band, and together, we have received various international awards. In one competition that took place in Amsterdam, the jury decided to award me their special prize for being the best soloist in the wind instrument section. This award allowed me to participate in a “Keep an Eye” by Conservatorium Von Amsterdam and to play in an international big band led by a fantastic American drummer Justin DiCioccio.
During the pandemic, I got the urge to continue my studies, and that motivated me to enroll in JVLMA once again, this time for a master's program. This time my teacher was Andrejs Jevsjukovs. This period of my life brought me an interest in composition and arranging. My current arrangements have already been performed by my dear “Jelgavas Big Band”.
Apart from being a musician, I also partake in an initiative created by Latvian Radio - together with a colleague, we host shows on the actualities of jazz music in Latvia. I am very interested in the history of jazz music and its heroes; I express my interest by writing articles for such magazines as “JAZZin.lv” and “Mūzikas Saule”. This also allows me to meet new people and to know more about the development of jazz music in Latvia.
Writing my master's thesis became a vast source of knowledge - in it, I have described six jazz albums by Latvian artists released in the time period from 1953 to 1991. It was an extensive research that gave me a lot of inspiration and became a source of pride, since such a research hadn't been conducted yet. I had received the highest praises from the jury for the work that had been done.
My main field of work and joy is music and not only jazz music. I readily partake in other musical genres. I enjoy playing new music and meeting new people, new musicians, experiencing musical collaborations with the people I hadn't had the chance to play with yet.
I think that loving your job is crucial. And since my job is music, I am always joyful to work! That is one of the lessons I teach to my daughter and two sons - how to love music. I hope that someday I will be able to play music together with my children, but even if they decide not to choose music as their specialty, I will be glad to know they have appreciation for good music.