Other events in Baltic States

Solveiga Rusytė, president of Lithuania’s Jazz Federation (LJF), could be deservedly called a jack of all trades, juggling all the gigs in event planning, TV appearances and the workload as the LJF head.

At the helm of the federation she says she pushes the case of jazz to new boundaries in the country in which the musical genre is often under-appreciated. The Lithuanian Tribune talked to Rusytė.

- Which of all these activities is your true breadwinner?

- To tell the truth, I’ve not been involved with all the audio-visual production lately as much as I used to. But event organizing is still my bread and butter. Speaking of the stint at the Jazz Federation, I’ve been heading it 8 years already, but the presidency is what I call my side-job for which I have to sacrifice my main work hours and which administrative expenses I have sometimes to cover out of my own pocket. Unfortunately, I’d say.

Disappointingly, NGOs are not state-supported, I mean financially in Lithuania.

- How did you end up being at the helm of the federation?

- Perhaps my life-long involvement with arts is the reason. As far as I can remember, I’ve been very passionate about all music, including jazz.

Yet at my alma mater I’d get engaged in all kinds of musical events. In fact, I’d often be the one who’d organize them, to tell the truth. I’d write about music and culture and draw billboards, for example.

After I completed my restorer’s studies in Vilnius I came back to Klaipeda, but it was clear to me I wouldn’t find a suitable job there. Luckily, advised by my close friend who was working for Vilnius Jazz Festival, I asked the Kaunas Jazz Festival team to let me give it a hand. It turned out later to have been a real jazz school for me, frankly. I had volunteered organizing different events for it and for a Kaunas jazz club for quite some time before I became the festival’s fully-fledged staffer.

No bragging, I’ve been an avid jazz zealot ever since, and the eight years’ stint at Kaunas Jazz Festival has really shaped up my reputation in the jazz community.

I reckon it was one of the main reasons why my candidacy to chair the Lithuanian jazz federation was proposed and, later, voted for. As I had already been running my own event-planning business then, the entrepreneurial experience, I believe, was also important in the decision-making.

Though I don’t get paid for the capacity, I hope it will become a paid job someday.

- I can share my personal experiences about the jazz phenomena in the US, where I’ve spent quite some time. How come that in Lithuania jazz is far from being a big thing? Can this be chalked up to the Soviet heritage?

- Indeed, the United States is the motherland of jazz. No wonder that the cultural perception of jazz over there is quite different from that in Europe. But I really don’t think that the jazz manifestations we have here are worse or better in a sense.

Put against other musical genres, I reckon jazz has this exclusive feature: its sociability. Not surprising, therefore, that UNESCO has proclaimed it “a universal language of freedom.”

The roots of jazz’s incredible affability and creative flexibility lies in the vast expressions of improvisation, which determined the genre’s incredible vitality, constant development and the deep contact with a concrete spot and local culture.

I’d pay attention, however, to the changing jazz perception over the last ten years. Jazz was able to harmoniously converge with the significant cultures of local music, including the academic music, folklore, rock, funk and rap, for example. In other words, we’ve seen a certain musical synergy, the combination of different musical genres reflecting the social environment. That is the reason why jazz, to my opinion, is so, creation-wise, viable, changing and developing.

- What is characteristic to the Lithuanian jazz school and music?

- The differences between the American and European jazz schools are obvious. And despite the varieties, a good thing is that the Lithuanian jazz school has its own face.

It was, in fact, very vivid and clear during the Soviet era and right after it, I’d say. Look, Vilnius Jazz School was founded, and the vast possibilities of expression that jazz is known for allowed reflection through it the-then social issues. Needless to say the resisting of Soviet ideology and the environment has been the most important.

Once the mission has been done jazz branched out to new sub-genres and styles.

Now the jazz community in Lithuania is very diverse, with a lot of talented musicians and music creators out there. All of them would be able to be a whole lot more popular and identify with the Lithuanian culture if they enjoyed the conditions that, for example, the classic music performers in the country have.

Our jazz people have many interesting music projects to be carried out, even on the most prestigious stages. But the public often doesn’t have the possibility to hear the works, because our jazz musicians do not have a regular concert stage where they could introduce the public their works. Seeking to eke out, many of the jazz performers, sadly, have to scrap their creative plans and individuality and play with the traditional American jazz programs in various business events.

The impact of Vilnius Jazz School has been very big in shaping up the face of Lithuanian jazz. The school and a bunch of its distinguished personalities, like Vladimiras Čekasinas, have change the face and forged entire generations of new jazz musicians.

Foreign music industry experts do point out to the high professionalism that Lithuanian jazz people exhibit. But they also miss some clear national distinctions in Lithuanian jazz, like, for example, connections with Lithuanian folklore.

- Is there any good examples out there of how jazz should be treated in the future?

-Let’s take a look at the example of Estonia where the country’s jazz federation’s activity is financed by the state. Therefore being able to develop their activities, the Estonians can boast that their jazz projects create jobs and add to the state budget extra taxes, and do really well themselves at the federation. This is the way we want to see jazz activities being run in Lithuania.