The festival, whose main idea is to add a touch of glamourous sound to Riga, will offer a world-class cocktail of jazz, pop-rock, fusion and contemporary improvised music. This summer, the festival will feature Kamasi Washington, one of the world's brightest and most inspiring saxophonists, multi-instrumentalists, composers and contemporary jazz greats, whose only concert in the Baltics will take place as part of the festival in Riga.
Kamasi Washington, who has released a number of highly acclaimed jazz recordings including The Epic (2016), Heaven and Earth (2018) and Fearless Movement (2024), has been the subject of a number of colourful epithets by the world's media. He has been described as the "musical unicorn" and "saviour of jazz", "the high priest of the saxophone" and "the heir apparent to John Coltrane". Washington's ambitious arrangements, which will also be heard in his and his band's performance at the festival in Riga, are rooted in post-bop, funk, soul and hip-hop, while his unique saxophone sound is well integrated into the music of greats such as Herbie Hancock, The Florence + the Machine, Kendrick Lamar, André 3000 and even Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
During the concert, the ensemble of Kārlis Auzīņš will perform a composition "Equilibrium Suite" written especially for the unusual combination of two double basses, two drum kits and a saxophone. Double Trio's music incorporates elements from contemporary, improvised and jazz music, combining conceptual rhythms and melodies.