The orchestra represented jazz culture outside Lithuania as well – in Finland, Russia, Holland, Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Poland, Latvia, Byelorussia. Kaunas Bigband participated in music festivals of these countries. The stylistic scale of the orchestra is wide - from jazz classics to contemporary jazz compositions. Projects with recognised world jazz creators and performers have a significant part in the creative biography of the bigband – it has worked with Roger Pontare (Sweden), Jukka Linkola, Eero Koivistoinen (Finland), Barbara Dennerlein (Germany), Daniel Messina (Argentine), Frank Mantooth, Randy Brecker, Jiggs Whigham (USA), Arkady Shilkloper (Russia), and others. The joint projects with Amsterdam (Holland) Chamber Choir (oratory of Algimanto Bražinskas “Song of Joy”, conductor Pierre Schuitemaker) and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (Rolf Liebermann “Concert for bigband and symphony orchestra, conductor Prof. Stasys Domarkas) are memorable.

Kaunas Bigband pays much attention to educational activity. The project “Jazz Lessons” is implemented for the fourth year already. It is a cycle of jazz concerts for young in which the best Lithuanian jazz masters as well as cinema, theatre, pantomime and circus actors, young students of art and music participate.

Kaunas Bigband was headed by Romualdas GRABŠTAS (1943 01 16 – 2009 08 27), jazz pianist, author of jazz compositions, music for theatre stagings and various musical projects who had much experience in music, until 2009. Now the interim head of Kaunas Bigband is Eugenijus Šaltis.

Kaunas, Vytauto 79

8 37 423055

8-674 93713

saltis@kaunobigbendas.lt