“Trio Elpo” - pianist Edgars Cīrulis, double bassist Jānis Rubiks and percussionist Rūdolfs Dankfelds - will present their debut album “Aquarium of Sound” at the concert hall “Lielais dzintars”. In the hands of these versatile musicians, jazz has stepped beyond the familiar territory we know and picked up elements from other genres. It will be meditative, rhythmic, painterly and even orchestral in scale.
“Let the music lead you inward - into the beautiful waters of space, emptiness and peace. In the aquarium, everything becomes one: water is air, life and space. The trio’s elements merge into a single whole like a meditative stream winding through the entire album. Watch and enjoy this journey - from doubt to acceptance, from restlessness to harmony,” the trio invites.
The name and philosophy of the ensemble reflect the most essential thing in music - breath as the source of organic rhythm, energy and emotion. The trio performs original compositions and finely crafted improvisations in which the energy of contemporary jazz meets Nordic minimalism and expressive stage dialogue. The compositions also bear the influence of Zen Buddhist philosophy.
The music is given a special groove and textural richness by Rūdolfs Dankfelds’ drumming, which is deeply rooted in the tradition of American session musicians from the 1960s and 1970s in Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans and Chicago. A special place on the album is held by an interpretation of M. K. Čiurlionis’ prelude. Meanwhile, the closing composition “Folk Song” offers an original take on elements of folk music through the prism of magical realism.
The collective has collaborated with musicians from Latvia and abroad, and a particularly strong influence on its current sound has been the collaboration with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.
