We recently connected with Arta Jekabsone and have shared our conversation below.
Arta, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I have a couple of projects that have been meaningful to me and that also have shaped me as a person, and the artist I am today.
To name some of these special meaningful projects. Those include my debut album Light, which was released in 2017, performing at The Montreux Jazz Festival 2017 with my quintet and also leading the Montreux Jazz Festival Jam sessions. Also, I was a part of the Montreux Jazz Academy residency, where I met a lot of amazing emerging artists like Rob Luft, Erik Leuthauser, Esteban Castro, and many more. There I also got to play with Marcus Miller on the bass, Trilok Gurtu on the tabla, and Kurt Rosenwinkel on the guitar. As a result, this week was when I formed a new duo with a dear friend of mine, a great vocalist, and composer from Germany Erik Leuthauser, with whom so far we have released two experimental, indie jazz vocal albums Yesterday Still Lies Between the Floorboards and BeachFinds, based on the poetry by Dean Wilson, which also was on the Grammy list this past year.
One of the greatest things and a blessing was receiving The Jazz Gallery Commission 2021, which allowed me to compose a completely new concert program Searching For A Song for a large ensemble. For a whole year, I was an artist in residence at my favorite NYC concert venue The Jazz Gallery, which often feels like my 2nd home, because of the people who work there and artists that share their music.
Another meaningful project was for the first time working on a multidisciplinary performance Letters to Home, which was based on the stories of Latvian-Americans who emigrated to America during the Soviet Union Regime in Latvia back in the 40’s, the 50’s, and 60’s. Composing choir music for the XV Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Minneapolis in 2022 and then hearing about 600 voices singing my composition and a chamber orchestra accompanying them was pretty special to me.
Working with an amazing jazz pianist and composer Aaron Parks in 2023 was a moment I will always remember, we played a beautiful duo concert at Mezzrow’s in early January of 2023. He has been one of my inspirations since I was 16.
Arta, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Arta Jēkabsone. I am a NYC-based Latvian vocalist, composer, and arranger. I also play violin and piano, and I love to use TC Helicon Voice Live Touch 2 in my performances.
I’ve won the prestigious Montreux Shure Jazz Voice Competition and have finished in the top three in multiple internationally renowned competitions. In 2021 I earned a 3rd prize at the Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Voice Competition. I’ve toured a lot in Europe and North America mostly playing my original music, which has been a huge blessing.
My artistic journey is a tapestry of diverse musical influences – from the ethereal sounds of my Latvian Roots, lately Gnawa Music, and the vibrant rhythms of contemporary jazz. With each sung note my goal is to transport the listener to a realm of pure musical bliss, where the boundaries between reality and dreams blur.
I regularly present new works at the Jazz Gallery, one of New York City’s premier venues. I was awarded the Jazz Gallery Residency Commission Grant 2021. In 2023, I received the highest form of state recognition in the field of music the Latvian Music Award “New Artist of the Year 2022”. Very recently I was recognized by the ASCAP Foundation with an honorable mention in the 2024 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards.
Music gives me so much joy, and that is how I get to explore the world, meet new people, and get more inspired to compose more new music.
I am an extremely joyful and curious person, I love traveling and exploring nature and I tend to be very talkative during my performances.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, there are a few rewarding aspects of being an artist, and a musician.
First of all understanding how lucky I am to have chosen this path, although sometimes it can be challenging, but to be honest it truly feels like it has been worth it.. Understanding that I am truly doing what I love, and most days I can wake up feeling at peace and in gratitude, knowing that I can share my music with people. Not gonna lie, sometimes those challenging aspects are related to the financial side of it, like other working people, we also have to pay rent, make a living to stay afloat, and keep on promoting our artwork, that not a lot of people might want to understand or are be able to support…
A couple of days ago I returned back from a solo tour. I was traveling to different Latvian community centers in the Midwest (Minneapolis, Detroit, and Cleveland). And after every single performance people came and talked to me and expressed how happy they were to be at the concert, and it brought them a lot of joy, warmth, and care, and suddenly the world seemed to be a brighter place for us all. This is one of the most rewarding things about being a musician to be able to uplift one’s spirit and take them out on a journey so that for a second they can forget about their daily worries and duties and allow themselves to just be in a room and venture on this musical journey. It always warms my heart, when I hear such feedback because that gives me the strength to keep on going, exploring, and letting the music do its work and understand that I am on the right path and that it is my calling.
Playing with friends is another rewarding aspect of being a musician. I think we all want to belong somewhere, we want to be understood, and we want to build a community, the extended family. So many times that has happened to me, I get to play with my friends, musicians that I feel inspired by, who are there to support me, and vice versa. It is such a beautiful thing!
Also, hearing that music and specific musicians have changed someone’s life. These past years I also have become an educator, teaching music and vocal lessons to aspiring young musicians. It has been a beautiful experience to guide them on their musical journey and see how they shaped as humans and musicians. Seeing and being a part of someone’s transformation can be rewarding too. I’ve been blessed to have so many mentors in my life that has seen my transformation and now it is beautiful to see other people transform.
Lastly, music teaches me to be present, to enjoy every single moment, to be more disciplined, and more humble for the experiences and opportunities that are coming my way.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
This is something I have been thinking a lot about lately… I think this one comes in phases… Trying to understand what drives me to do music, compose, and perform.
There is a goal, even multiple little goals, however, they are changing with the experience I gain, they get bigger, smaller, more important, and sometimes even less important… But the goals keep us focused and on track, and get where we want to be. And that comes in handy when in doubt or when there is just too much happening and we need to take a second to take a breath and recalibrate ourselves.
At this moment, I feel that composition per se, has become like a meditation to me. When I compose it feels like I can zone out from everything and explore my inner world, talk to my inner child that is ready to explore everything that this world offers, sometimes complete nonsense, sometimes serious and complex emotions, sometimes absolute wonder and joy.
With performance and playing music on stage, it is something different, that is where my inner child is completely free and present, and wants to make everyone smile and be happy and grateful to be dancing around on this earth. I feel most myself when doing music.
So in some ways, I feel that my mission through music is to bring peace in this world, more positivity, and offer an introspective journey in one’s soul, to allow people to understand what matters to them in that exact moment while listening to my music. It is honestly so powerful what we can do with art. :)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://artajekabsone.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artajekabsone/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artajekabsonemusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-YQxWVELkVRJARmY79Qu-A
Image Credits
All of the Photos are labeled on the file : Gatis Ošenieks – bigband photo and singing in the black outfit Una Stade – shot Evilena Protektore – black and white photo Hank O’Neal – Searching for a song concert with the large ensemble from The Jazz Gallery Carolina Mama – singing in a blue outfit Valters Bože – playing piano and singing March Ducrest – Montreux Jazz Festival with my quintet