Keista bjauri rybvis (Lithuania)
Aistė Kalvelytė - dr
Julius Čepukėnas - el

Keista Bjauri Žuvis - energetic drum passages wrapped in rich synth tones and atmospheric rustles. This musical experience is full of different styles, currents and hints. In the long dynamic pieces, improvisational elements contrast with rigid structures and flow like a river into an ocean of living, undulating unison. The performances of the strange ugly fish are a musical journey based on communication and the moment.

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Immanuel Wilkins Quartet (USA)
Immanuel Wilkins - asax
Micah Thomas -  p
Rick Rosato - b
Kweku Sumbry - dr

Creator of deep-ocean jazz epics - that's the eloquent phrase that the prestigious music website Pitchfork launched into the world a few years ago when it introduced the young saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, who is coming to the festival this year. And for good reason! This musician is a luminary on the contemporary jazz scene, bringing a fresh approach to the genre and proving that the depths of creativity are far from exhausted.

In Vilnius Mama Jazz, I. Wilkins is accompanied by a quartet led by himself - Daryl Johns (double bass), Kweku Sumbry (drums) and Micah Thomas (piano) - with whom he will be presenting his latest album "The 7th Hand" as well as unpublished new works.

I. Wilkins started his musical career in his hometown Philadelphia. His first encounters with music came in the local community church, where the music of God-raising gospel music filled the vaults. Later, Wilkins continued his musical explorations at the Clef Jazz and Performing Arts Club in Philadelphia, which was founded by the African-American community, and at the age of just 12, he performed the US national anthem in front of a crowd of thousands of American football fans at a Philadelphia Eagles home game.

In 2015, fresh out of high school, Wilkins was swept away by a New York City that never sleeps. The young man moved to the megalopolis with its huge concentration of artists to continue his education at the Juilliard School. As he walked the broad avenues of the Big Apple each day, Wilkins crossed paths with Ambrose Akinmusire, one of today's most prominent trumpeters and composers, who became his guide through the amazingly wide world of jazz. For the kid from Philadelphia, it was not only Akinmusire but also pianist Jason Moran who offered Wilkins, who plays alto saxophone, the chance to join his series of concerts dedicated to the legendary pianist Thelonious Monk.

New York City and the connections made there were the springboard for the Pennsylvania saxophone-wielding youngster's career. Wilkins soon began collaborating with Solange Knowles, Gretchen Parlato, Wynton Marsalis, Gerald Clayton, Aaron Parks, Joel Rosso and other jazz luminaries.

Working alongside other musicians did not allow Wilkins to fully embrace his creative side. Turning to his closest circle of friends in New York, he assembled a quartet that has delighted music lovers around the world. And where can you not be delighted when you are accompanied in the recording studios and on stage by the brightest personalities of the younger generation: drummer K.K. Chestnut, who is fascinated by the rhythmic heritage of West Africa, and a member of one of the finest American pianists of his generation, Cyrus Chestnut's band. Sumbry, Daryl Johns, a post-bop jazz enthusiast and devilishly talented double bassist, and Micah Thomas, a pianist who masterfully combines tradition and modernity, playing with the likes of the cult classic Billy Drummond and the free jazz sensation Zoh Amba.

In 202020, the quartet, led by the alto saxophonist, released their debut album Omega. Under the wing of the prestigious Blue Note campaign, which once released John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and a host of other jazz greats, the album caused a storm among jazz lovers. The opus of modern mainstream jazz, with strong post-bop influences, made more than one heart beat faster. "Omega revealed Wilkins not only as a superb alto saxophonist, but also as a sonically minded composer whose lyricism, bright melodies, and carefully crafted narrative lines are expertly countered by energetic avant-garde improvisational passages.

New York Times' choice for the best jazz album of 2020, Omega has opened the door for Wilkins to join the elite of the jazz scene. Concerts at major festivals, praise from music critics, records swept off the shelves of record shops. Wilkins experienced it all, but he did not rest on his laurels. In 2022, he released his second quartet album, The 7th Hand. With this album, Wilkins entered an even more mature and intimate phase of his work. The saxophonist explores the relationship between man and religion, the nooks and crannies of existence between being and nothingness in this suite-like album, which contains numerous references to Wilkins' personal experiences. The musical side of the album reveals an even stronger desire to connect with his roots - African-American musical traditions - and a much more obvious inclination towards spiritual jazz aesthetics.

Voted the best alto saxophonist by the cultural jazz magazine DownBeat, Wilkins and his youthfully driven, yet extremely mature quartet come to Vilnius to showcase their vision of jazz.

The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.