THE LEGENDARY FESTIVAL VASARAS RITMI AND ITS MEANING IN JAZZ DEVELOPMENT IN LATVIA IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY

Abstract

The jazz festival Vasaras ritmi ( Summer Rhythms), was once the main jazz event of the year, not only for Latvian jazz musicians, but it was also considered to be one of the most famous and prestigious jazz festivals in the entire USSR. The festival, which grew from a simple jazz evening to a concert series over the course of a week, has played an important role in the development of jazz not only in Latvia, but in the entire USSR. In fact, the festival and the related Riga Jazz Club were the main catalysts and driving forces in the development of jazz in Latvia in the 1970s and 1980s. Even today, the name of the largest contemporary Latvian jazz festival Rīgas ritmi (Riga Rhythms), clearly demonstrates the impact of the legendary festival in the development of Latvian jazz. However, it was not without controversy (especially in the late 1980s), and it failed to transcend into a new economic reality after the collapse of the USSR. As a result, it ceased to exist soon after the restoration of Latvia’s independence. Nevertheless, the festival left a significant mark on the development of Latvian jazz, and its influence can still be felt today.
Jazz festivals have always played an important role in the development of jazz, but in the context of totalitarian regimes, this has often been much broader than simply promoting a particular genre of music. Jazz festivals in the USSR were much more than just concerts - in the totalitarian society then in existence, they were an opportunity for musicians to express themselves more freely in a genre that was marginal to Soviet life, and a chance for the public to escape the depressing reality of their daily lives.