7:00 PM – Kārlis Auziņš Double Trio
8:30 PM – Kamasi Washington “Fearless Movement”
At the Pink Noise Riga Festival – Kamasi Washington’s only concert in the Baltics and Riga this summer!
🎷 On the evening of July 26, Kamasi Washington, one of the world’s most spectacular and inspiring saxophonists, multi-instrumentalists, composers & bandleaders will be headlining the “Pink Noise Riga” Festival for his only concert in the Baltics as part of his “Freedom of Movement” European Tour.
Kamasi Washington who has released some of the most acclaimed musical records of this century like “The Epic” (2016), “Heaven and Earth” (2018) and “Fearless Movement” (2024), has been described by the world's media with a series of vivid epithets. He is called a “musical unicorn”, “The High Priest of Sax”, a “Coltrane-like figure” and “today’s most vital jazz creator”.
Washington’s grand musical arrangements, which we will hear in his performance with his group, have been anchored in post-bop, funk, soul, and hip-hop, while his unique saxophone sound has melted well with the music of Harbie Hancock, the “Florence + the Machine”, Kendrick Lamar, “André 3000”, and even “Metallica” and “Red Hot Chili Peppers”.
🎷 Opening for Kamasi Washington will be the Kārlis Auziņš Double Trio, a jazz ensemble of international acclaim led by 2025 “Latvian Grand Music Award” winner Kārlis Auziņš. Their 2024 concert was nominated for both “Latvian Radio 3 Klasika’s Top 10” Musical Events and the “Kilograms Kultūras” public media cultural award.
Performing at the festival will be Kārlis Auziņš (saxophones), David Helm (Denmark) & Edvīns Ozols (double bass), Simon Olderskog Albertsen (Norway) & Kaspars Kurdeko (percussion).
At “Pink Noise Riga”, the ensemble will perform the “Equilibrium Suite”—a special composition written for this unusual instrumental combination of two double basses, two drum sets, and a saxophone. The Double Trio’s music merges elements of contemporary, improvised, and jazz music, featuring conceptual rhythms and melodies inspired by global traditional music, energetic passages, and minimalist soundscapes. The suite is featured on a vinyl release by “Jersika Records” in March 2025.
📣 About festival:
Inaugurated in 2024 by the legendary jazz musician Branford Marsalis, Pink Noise Riga will delight music lovers this summer from July 24th to 26th.
The festival, whose main idea is to help Riga stand out & shine bright in Europe’s music scene, will offer a cocktail of world-class jazz, pop-rock, fusion, and contemporary improvised music. Its performers include saxophonist and contemporary jazz giant Kamasi Washington, one of Latvia's most beloved pop music groups - Instrumenti (with their only concert in Riga this summer), modern fusion band LUPA, and the 2025 Great Music Award recipient’s Kārlis Auziņš double trio.
Festival concerts will take place at Palladium Concert Hall, with the opening night and after-parties held at M/Darbnīca.
🎟 Tickets for Kamasi Washington’s July 26 performance are now available!
More info at pinknoiseriga.com.
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