Maris Briezkalns

 is one of the foremost figures in Latvian jazz. He is the artistic director of Rigas Ritmi Festival and the jazz artists contest Sony Jazz Stage. He is also the Latvian Radio jazz producer and director of Recording Studios department.

The drummer collaborated with many a jazz celebrity including Grover Washington, Ted Curson and Frank Foster. He performed at Blue Note and Dizzy’s in NYC, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, at JFK Performing Art Center in Washington DC, Venice Jazz Festival and many other prestigious jazz scenes, recorded myriads of CDs. 

“Maris Briezkalns proved that Latvian jazz is more than just alive and well – it is the embodiment of a creative energy that characterizes the human spirit”, one reads about him in Half Note Records.