Pauls and Paula invite you to the Riga Jazz Stage

Next week in Riga will be a week of jazz: from April 7 to 9, the International Jazz Competition Riga Jazz Stage will take place at the Splendid Palace cinema, bringing together competitors from 13 countries. This time, the concerts will also be available to watch and listen to online, opening up the possibility of becoming a jazz lover to a much wider audience.

Busulis, Stībelis and Kerēvica are also past winners

The International Jazz Competition Riga Jazz Stage (RJS) was established in 2004, but for the last few years, the organizers have had to postpone the event due to a pandemic. "Although times are difficult, the jazz festival could not be postponed any longer," said RJS Artistic Director Māris Briežkalns. The creative team started organizing the event back in November, at that time pledging to revive RJS in "whatever format", based on online concerts or live streams, but the current epidemiological conditions make it possible to organize events with a live audience, which of course is even more enjoyable.

The participants for the 2020 competition have been contacted and no one (!) has refused to come to Riga because of concerns about the situation in the region or for any other reason. 68 contestants from 17 countries have applied, and 23 young musicians from 13 countries have reached the RJS final and will come to Latvia. "Riga will also host a prominent international jury, as well as representatives of prestigious foreign jazz and cultural media, and the concerts will be streamed live, so they can be seen all over the world - the competition is growing and evolving!" boasted Māris Briežkalns. He recalled that the first RJS winner was Intars Busulis, whose name requires no further comments, while after Kristīne Prauliņa's victory, composer Raimonds Pauls "wrote ten pieces especially for her, which are now jazz classics". Other RJS winners have included Ieva Kerēvica, Jānis Stībelis, Daumants Kalniņš, Andris Buiķis, Kristaps Vanadziņš, Toms Rudzinskis and others.

Maestro will judge the young as part of the jury

Over the years, the competition has served as an opportunity for young artists to advertise themselves in front of experts and a wider audience. In addition, the international jury of renowned jazz experts, producers and critics gives young artists the opportunity to be invited to perform at Riga Rhythms, Venezia Jazz, Jazz Time, Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Lincoln Center and other renowned venues. It should be noted that RJS is held each year in two categories - the constant Jazz Vocal and one of the seven instrumentalist categories. This year, the chosen artists are drummers.

"I have the feeling that a slow awakening is beginning here," mused RJS jury member Raimonds Pauls. "We were excluded from concert life for two years - it wasn't pleasant, but we survived it, and we have to start working. Recently we had the honor to see the auditorium full of people again. And jazz has reached an unexpectedly good level. I like the fact that Riga Jazz Stage also features our own young performers - I hope Paula [Saija] will do well, but it will be up to the jury and we'll see how she performs. We are on the right track. The main thing is to play and work hard, which is what I wish for everyone," said the Maestro in his characteristic manner.

For Paula Saija this competition is like sport

There are several of our competitors (Karīna Laugale, Katrīna Kabeņecka, Mareks Logins, Sanijs Bondars, Pauls Pokratnieks, Kristaps Sokolovs), but Paula Saija is more special because she and Raimonds Pauls have just performed a joint program "Pauls un Paula" at the music house Daile. So, is it her guardian sitting in the jury chair? "The Maestro is an honest man, he won't take it into consideration!" laughs the singer. One wonders what she's doing in such a competition - Paula, after all, has already proved herself in jazz music and with the band Very Cool People. "I think competing is a very good sport - a way to keep fit. For example, I'm more into funk music now, performing with Very Cool People, but this is a very good platform to perform in the jazz sphere - it's cool!" Paula explains. Jazz is essentially a democratic style of music, where the improvisational skills that Paula has developed help her to perform in any genre. "Yes, it really is, because jazz gives you freedom! Jazz is an expression of freedom. There's not just one way you can sing it, so you can sing funk, gospel or jazz, and it's not forbidden to combine them all."

Jazz was once considered an elitist style of music, not even worth trying to understand by amateurs. "Modern jazz has integrated so many different styles of music that although it is still considered elitist, I think it is also a very good way for the listener to kind of train their ear. Trying to understand and hear what's going on in this kind of music," thinks Paula. She agrees that the biggest trump cards of jazz (and blues too) are the scope for improvisation and therefore the possibility to surprise: "You never know what to expect and what you're going to get from a jazz program - that's the beauty of it."

A celebration from Thursday to Saturday

About the RJS program. The first concert of the competition will take place on Thursday, April 7, while the final will take place on April 8, when the top 12 will perform for the public. As on the first day, they will be accompanied by the Riga Jazz Quartet - pianist Kristaps Vanadziņš, guitarist Rihards Goba, bassist Jānis Rubiks and drummer Miķelis Vīte. The headliner of the event is Jamison Ross (he will also be on the jury), Grammy Award nominee, composer, singer and drummer, who will perform with his trio at the Splendid Palace on April 9, and will also give a public masterclass on the morning of the concert day. Tickets for both live and online concerts are available at aula.lv. It should be noted that the official Riga Jazz Lounge jam sessions with AG Trio will also take place at the Radisson Blu Latvija after the competition concerts.

To finish up, here's what this year's musical director and former winner Kristaps Vanadziņš said: "My role is to bring the love of jazz from the contestants to the audience, so that people understand the music more and it becomes even more attractive. I've looked at the sheet music that has been submitted and I can say that we will hear mostly American music, but there will also be quite a few originals. This competition is always a celebration because it has a good youthful, burning energy."

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