Ó 12 Points 2008

Our first Lithuanian participants at 12 Points! are aptly named, for there is a bold sweep to the music of these four Vilnius musicians that begins with modest folk derived melodies, and opens up into some epic free blowing. Collectively, they represent a new generation of musicians in a country with a long and proud history of improvised music embodied by influential groups in the ’70s like The Ganelin Trio. These days Liudas Mockunas is Lithuania’s de facto jazz ambassador, a muscular tenor saxophonist with an original approach that exploits multiphonics and other expressive devices. An established figure of the Danish scene for some years, he’s back in his native city to steer a quartet that brings together bassist Vytis Nivinskas, drummer Marijus Aleksa and the up and coming pianist Dmitry Golovanov.