British pianist Alexander Hawkins and Ukrainian Vadim Neselovskyi are highlights of Vilnius Jazz 2022

It's cold in the Old Theatre in Vilnius, which was still called the Russian Drama Theatre at the last Vilnius Jazz - but then Putin hadn't invaded Ukraine yet either. It's better to leave your jacket or coat on during the four festival evenings. The cold is not due to a lack of gas in Lithuania's capital, but to the fact that the central heating systems throughout the city have not yet been turned on because of the temperatures in autumn. Luckily Antanas Gustys has plenty of warming art on offer for the anniversary edition of the Lithuanian capital's oldest jazz festival, which celebrates its 35th birthday this year.

The very first concert on the first evening is a blast. The music of British pianist Alexander Hawkins is both accessible and adventurous, oscillating between composed structures and highly exciting improvisational elaborations of the free spaces within. In the process, drummer Stephen Davis turns out to be a terrific rhythm generator who works very creatively with the open spaces, while double bassist Neil Charles is the perfect link between piano and drums. Sound-seeking and intoxicatingly flowing, enriched with sampled sounds - this trio from Great Britain is so refreshing at every moment because it is so full of surprises.    

Sound seekers are also saxophonist and pianist Petras Vyšniauskas and drummer Arkady Gotesman (pictured below), who are two absolute legends of Lithuanian jazz - debtuting in 1990 as the duo PetrArka. Now they entertain in the theatre hall with finely spun dialogues. What Gotesman plays on various drums, Vyšniauskas always comments on creatively, very often on the piano, even though saxophones are actually his main instruments. On the other hand, things get spiritual at the tribute concert for Alice Coltrane with Hamid Drake's Turiya. The legendary US drummer comes to Vilnius with a septet, comprised of illustrious participants such as US keyboard man Jamie Saft, Norwegian sample specialist Jan Bang and Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva. Together they give a sensitive and imaginary transformation of an immortal artist like Alice Coltrane will always be.   

After the evening concerts in the beautiful Old Theatre Vilnius, a Night Stage attracts many young people to the hip Opera Social House, located directly opposite the imposing Vilnius Opera, for the first three festival nights. Here, mainly young and mostly Lithuanian musicians show what they are capable of and that they have a lot to say in improvised jazz. One was curious about the band Vėjeliai by Dalius Naujokaitis - one of the most exciting Lithuanian jazz musicians, who last year still caused astonishment on the big festival stage with a gigantic spectacle with over 50 musicians involved. But the drummer fell ill at short notice, and his six-piece band of young Lithuanians had a great replacement in Ignas Kasikauskas on drums who swept the audience along with their free-funk jazz.

The Vilnius Jazz Young Power competition, which Antanas Gustys has integrated into his festival for the past seventeen years, also took place in the large theatre hall in one afternoon. With bands like the Lithuanian-Danish formation SNUS or the later competition winners, the trio Quark Effect, they showed that the young Lithuanian jazz scene has courageous and innovative things to offer. 

The most touching moments in Vilnius were provided by pianist Vadim Neselovskyi. The Ukrainian, born in Odessa, lived and studied in Germany for a while, now lives in Boston, where he is a professor at the Berklee College of Music. The pianist has played and collaborated with many, but in Vilnius he shows how magical he is solo on the piano. Neselovskyi presented his multi-part suite Odesa, whose title is deliberately written with only one "s". It is the Ukrainian spelling of the city. Composed before the outbreak of war, Odesa has taken on a frightening topicality and captures the listener on a musical journey through the pianist's hometown. Percussive fireworks, melodic motifs with Eastern European tones, many sudden breaks, for example from agitated keyboard playing to suddenly taking over, almost quiet melancholy - Vadim Neselovskyi makes the listener feel Odessa. Sometimes there are sounds like snowflakes when he tells of winter in the city on the keys. Then a beat drives you forward and you arrive at the railway station in Odessa. How much the current situation in his homeland hurts and moves him, the Ukrainian conveys these feelings wonderfully captured on the concert grand piano. Moving, unique and great art.