Collection of Arta Jēkabsone’s folk song arrangements on “Dziesmu kamoliņš”

Egils Kaljo | 

Award winning Latvian singer Arta Jēkabsone has, throughout her performing career, explored and combined many different styles in her songs. Though primarily a jazz singer, her work still has many Latvian elements and influences, and she has also created her own arrangements of Latvian folk songs. Her exuberant and emotionally rich vocals have won her praise around the world, as evidenced by her victory at the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition and her being recognized as the “New Artist of the Year 2022” in Latvia.

Her latest album, 2025’s Dziesmu kamoliņš (Garland of Songs) is a collection of her arrangements of Latvian folksongs, along with original works. Including arrangements both of well-known and lesser-known Latvian folk songs, imbued with jazz stylistics, the collection makes for a memorable collection of performances in Jēkabsone’s own unique musical language.

Jēkabsone’s vocal talents are on display throughout the album, such as the wordless vocalizes that punctuate her arrangement of ‘Skaisti dziedi, lakstīgala’, and this performance is enhanced by the synthesizer performance of Kengchakaj, which adds additional layers and sonic textures to the music.

Jēkabsone also makes effective use of recording technology, allowing her to creative textured tapestries with just her voice. One such example is her arrangement of ‘Tumša nakte, zaļa zāle’, where, with vocal loops, she creates a multi-layered vocal performance that brings out the spiritual and meditative elements of this folk song.

The layered vocal effects also provide for a memorable interpretation of the lullaby ‘Aijā, žūžū’, where Jēkabsone builds upon the simple melody of the song to create a complex, yet moving performance of this beloved song.

Beyond being a singer, Jēkabsone is a multi-instrumentalist, and many of the performances include her playing the piano and violin. Additionally, Jēkabsone is also an accomplished songwriter, shown by the original song ‘Dziesmu kamoliņš’, a gently flowing song full of positivity and vivacity.

Arta Jēkabsone’s performances and arrangements of Latvian folk songs on Dziesmu kamoliņš are innovative and creative, and reveal new facets to these timeless Latvian songs. Jēkabsone, who has been living in New York City for more than a decade now, brings together both the folk songs of Latvia and the modern jazz elements with striking results. The layered and rich arrangements, woven together with Jēkabsone’s vocal talents, along with a number of talented musicians from around the world, makes Dziesmu kamoliņš a captivating and spiritually uplifting listen.

For further information, please visit Arta Jēkabsone’s website.

Dziesmu kamoliņš

Arta Jēkabsone

2025

Track listing:

1. Man dziesmiņu nepietrūka

2. Caur sidraba birzi gāju

3. Silta jauka istabiņa

4. Lakstīgala

5. Tumša nakte,zaļa zāle

6. Dieviņ,Tavu gaišumiņu!

7. Ziedi, ziedi rudzu vārpa

8. Sēju rūtu, sēju mētru

9. Noriet saule vakarā’i

10. Aijā žūžū!

11.Dziesmu kamoliņš

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.

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Song book “Lokaitiesi, mežu gali” now in digital format

Egils Kaljo | 

One of the many missions of the American Latvian Association (ALA) is to save many of the books used in Latvian schools during the time of exile and make available digital copies of them, to ensure the materials are available for future generations to benefit from.

ALA has made available a digital copy of one of the most popular and beloved Latvian song books – Lokaitiesi, mežu gali. Originally published in 1981 and used throughout Latvian schools in the United States and elsewhere, Lokaitiesi, mežu gali was used by multiple generations of Latvian children to learn Latvian folk songs.

Compiled by Valda Lēvenšteina, the song book collects more than fifty of the most popular and best-known Latvian folk songs, including the music, and each picture is accompanied by charming and lovely illustrations by artists Dzintra Lejiņa and Ilze Freivalde-Loxley.

Lokaitiesi, mežu gali is an invaluable resource for Latvian children, parents and schools, and provides many examples of the richness and beauty of Latvian folk songs.

The song book can be downloaded here – Lokaitiesi, mežu gali

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.

Recently released CD features new sacred and spiritual works performed by Latvian Radio Choir

Egils Kaljo | 

The internationally renowned Latvian Radio Choir has long been an advocate of new music by Latvian composers. Throughout many decades of performances, the Choir has premiered many new works, and not just Latvian composers, but also many internationally known composers, seek out the Latvian Radio Choir, due to their performance and interpretative skills.

In collaboration with the Latvian record label Skani, the Latvian Radio Choir, conducted by  Kaspars Putniņš and Sigvards Kļava, released its latest collection of new choir music by Latvian composers in 2024. Entitled Angele Dei, the album features choir works of a sacred and spiritual nature.

Composer Pēteris Vasks has often included spiritual themes in both his choir and instrumental works, and this collection includes two of his choir songs – “Angele Dei” and “Actus Caritatis”, both based on Catholic prayers. The quietly meditative “Angele Dei” gradually builds to an emotional crescendo, and the Latvian Radio choir skillfully presents this work, with its long phrases, with an expressive, emotional depth. Similarly, “Actus Caritatis”, a slow and deliberate work, with its soaring melody, displays Vasks’ innate ability to generate moving and spiritually uplifting music.

“Sensus”, with music by Krists Auzinieks, is a highly complex work for 24 voices, is full of sonic textures and vocal effects. Based upon a fragment from Paul the Apostle’s Letter to the Romans, Auzinieks weaves together the various voices into a dynamic and robust composition. The choir deftly brings together the many disparate voices into an expansive, layered performance, creating an enveloping musical experience.

Ruta Paidere’s “Magnificat” is, as the composer herself states, an attempt to develop “a sound that was archaic but at the same time also contemporary”. Blending elements from various sources, including Jewish and Buddhist chants, as well as from Palestrina’s “Magnificat”, Paidere’s work, at times has the choir whispering, then later builds to a revelatory enlightenment at the conclusion, and the choir provides for a compelling performance of this multi-faceted work.

Andris Dzenītis is a composer who is also known for his melding of multiple styles and elements, modern sounds and traditional elements, and the two compositions on this collection – “Om, Lux Aeterna” and “Lūgšana” (Prayer) are vivid examples of his compositional style. “Om, Lux Aeterna” contains elements from Christian, Buddhist and Vedic beliefs, and, with the choir’s artistic mastery, creates a revealing journey through the world’s religions. On the other hand, “Lūgšana” (the Lord’s Prayer in Latvian) is a calmer, more reflective work, and perhaps less complex than Dzenītis’ works usually are, but still provides an emotional weight with its radiant harmonies.

Santa Ratniece’s “Nighttime Light” is a striking example of Ratniece’s distinctive style, with perhaps less focus on musical harmonies, but with more on sound textures, exploring the boundaries of what a human voice is capable of. The resulting work, at times mysterious, even slightly ominous, is still richly spiritual, and the shimmering vocals gradually dissipate at the work’s ethereal conclusion.

Perhaps the most demanding and challenging work (for both the choir and listeners) on the album is Mārtiņš Viļums’ “The Fate of King Lear’s Children”, inspired by the Irish legend ‘The Children of Lir’. The work is often harsh, with discordant harmonies, and this performance displays the skill and talents of the choir, and particularly conductor Kaspars Putniņš, who deftly weaves together all the many disparate and intricate vocal lines into a cohesive and engaging whole.

Angele Dei, beyond being another testament to the abilities of the Latvian Radio Choir and conductors Kaspars Putniņš and Sigvards Kļava, is also a compelling document of modern Latvian choir music, displaying the great range of abilities and styles currently being implemented by Latvian composers.

For further information, please visit the Latvian Radio Choir website.

Angele Dei

Latvian Radio Choir, conductors Kaspars Putniņš, Sigvards Kļava

LMIC/SKANi 163, 2024

Track listing:

1. Pēteris Vasks – Angele Dei

2. Krists Auznieks – Sensus

3. Ruta Paidere  – Magnificat

4. Andris Dzenītis – Om, Lux Aeterna

5. Andris Dzenītis – Lūgšana

6. Santa Ratniece – Nighttime Light

7. Pēteris Vasks – Actus Caritatis

8. Mārtiņš Viļums – The Fate of King Lear’s Children

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.