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.
