XXVIII Saulkrasti Jazz Festival 2026. Friday Concert

Concert lineup:

Baltic Drummers League FINAL | Latvia / Lithuania / Estonia

« NICOLAS VICCARO Xperience » | France

Ventspils Big Band & Anna Wibe — "Spectrum" | Latvia

The festival is well known not only in Latvia but also far beyond its borders and has created a sustainable position in the minds of the audience as a festival that keeps high criteria of the entertainment quality. Saulkrasti Jazz Festival began in 1997 and provides a wide range of jazz music concerts with artists from all around the world.

🎷An hour before the concert, a café and a playground for small jazz lovers will open at the Saulkrasti Open Air Stage ☺

🎷So that the parents can enjoy the concert in peace, we will take care of order and safety in the playground!Baltic Drummers League FINALLatvia / Lithuania / EstoniaThe Baltic Drummer League is a drummers competition, in which the best and most skilled drummers in the age category up to 25 years old are determined. The competition is organized by Saulkrasti Jazz in cooperation with musical instrument manufacturers Yamaha and Paiste, which allows to assess the mastery of Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian drummers and motivates the most talented musicians to fight for the main prize of the competition.«NICOLAS VICCARO Xperience»FranceOften described as "the bassist's dream drummer, Nicolas Viccaro has become one of the most in-demand drummers on the international scene. Moving efforilessly between modern jazz. rock and world music, he has performed alongside renowned artists such as John McLaughlin, Richard Bona, Dominic Miller, Kinga Glyk, Bill Evans, Biréli Lagrène, Mike Stern, Etienne Mbappé, Sylvain Luc, Scott Kinsey and Dave Stewart, among many others.

2026 marks the launch of his new project: Nicolas Viccaro Xperience. A band that reflects his distinctive musical voice powerful yet subtle, blending electric energy with an organic groove.

Joined by some of the finest musicians of their generation, Viccaro delivers a dynamic and immersive live experience where groove, virtuosity and musical exploration meet on stage.Ventspils Big Band & Anna Wibe — "Spectrum"LatviaAnna Wibe and Ventspils Big Band – Spectrum is a series of original compositions by Anna Wibe, created especially for the Ventspils Big Band and featuring piano, vocals, and trumpet as solo instruments. In the summer of 2026, the program’s recording is planned to be released in album format, including compositions in a modern jazz style that sound unique, fresh, and contemporary. The compositions are designed to highlight the big band wind section with musically rich and diverse timbres, as well as the rhythm section and especially the piano, showcasing both technical and rhythmic skills, and giving soloists freedom for improvisation and expressive sound.

The following soloists have been invited to participate in this project:

Singer Linda Kanter from Estonia, who has proven herself to be a highly virtuosic and talented performer both in the Baltic states and beyond.

Trumpeter Gatis Gorkuša – a Latvian trumpeter and laureate of several international competitions, who is currently very active in concerts with various well-known Latvian ensembles, including the Latvian Radio Big Band and The Sound Poets, among others.

The Ventspils Big Band is led by saxophonist Renārs Lācis, who has participated in numerous significant projects in Latvian jazz history, including the City Jazz Big Band (with which he received the Latvian Music Recording of the Year award in 2012), the Latvian Radio Big Band, the Silvesteri Orkesteri, and others. His name in Latvia is associated not only with an excellent performer, but also with a distinguished jazz educator and big band leader, who regularly collaborates with internationally and locally recognized soloists, thus contributing to the growth and professional sound of the Ventspils Big Band.

The Ventspils Big Band is a high-level musical ensemble consisting of both young and talented students and graduates of the Ventspils Music High School, as well as professional musicians. It is one of the cornerstones of Ventspils’ cultural life.

Anna Wibe is a jazz pianist and composer from Latvia who has participated in various musical projects both in the Baltic states and in Denmark, Sweden, Italy, and Bangladesh. In 2020, Anna released her debut CD album – Anna Wibe – Vibes.

For more information visit https://saulkrastijazz.lv/en/events/20-friday-concert