VLADIMIR TARASOV TRIO

Vladimir Tarasov (dr, perc), Liudas Mockūnas (ss, ts, cls), Eugenijus Kanevičius (b, electronics)

The three jazz luminaries seldom play as a trio – most often they team up in bigger formations. The Trio has several times collaborated with American poet Kerry Shawn Keys reading his own poems, appeared as a sextet with Russian jazz masters, and also in various other line-ups.
The Trio’s each concert is unique, for they play spontaneous music: the three coequal partners never discuss the upcoming performance. They took the same approach in recording of Intuitus, their double vinyl album released by NoBusiness Records.
Vladimir Tarasov was born in Archangelsk, Russia. Since 1968 he has lived and worked in Vilnius, Lithuania. For many years  Tarasov performed with the Lithuanian Symphonic Orchestra and other symphonic, chamber, and jazz orchestras in Lithuania, Europe and the USA.
From 1971 to 1986, Tarasov was a member of the well-known contemporary jazz music trio – GTC (Viatcheslav Ganelin, Vladimir Tarasov, Vladimir Chekasin).  With the Trio and many other artists and orchestras he has recorderd more than 100 records and CDs including numerous solo performances. V. Tarasov also writes music for orchestras, film, and theatre: Staatstheater, Stuttgart – 1995, Majestic Theater at The Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York – 1995; Josef Nadj Centre Choreographique National Orleans, Orleans – 1998, 2004; Theatre Vidy-Lausanne, Meierhold Centre, Moskow – 2003; Arte France, Paris - 2006, Eudeka Media, Poland; Yleisradio, Finland – 2009, etc.
Since 1991 he has been working in the visual arts, both solo, and collaborating with artists such as Ilya Kabakov, Sarah Flohr, and others.  He has participated in many one-person and group exhibitions: Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf – 1991; La Biennale de Venezia, Venice – 1993; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago – 1993; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris – 1995; Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren – 1998; Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris – 2000; Contemporary Art Center – DOM, Moscow – 2002; State Tretyakov Gallery,Moskow, The State Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg – 2004; The State Russian Museum St.Petersburg, Ludwig Museum in The Russian Museum – 2003, 2005; National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA), Moscow - 2006, 2008. 2010; Copper Smithy, Fiskars, Finland - 2006; 2nd and 3rd Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow - 2007, 2009; El Pabellon de las Artes, EXPO-2008, Zaragoza; Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach - 2008, etc. In 1999 Tarasov directed the play “Drink Up” (adapted from the poem by Venedikt Erofejev) at the Russian Drama Theatre of Lithuania.  On the same stage in 2002, Tarasov directed the opera “The Return of Dionysos” by Edwin Geist (1902 – 1942).
He has taught and given lectures at the Podewill Center in Berlin, the Music Academy in Bremen, and the Academy of Art, Orleans (France); the Kunst Akademie Düsseldorf; the Art Academy, Vilnius; the Art Department at California State University, Sacramento; the Department of Music at the Universtiy of the Pacific, Stockton, California; and at the Institute for Studio Studies in conjunction with the Yale University Summer Session in Pont Aven, France. In 1993 – 1994, he received a grant from the Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart (Germany); and in 1998 from the  Civitella Ranieri Center in Italy. He is the author of the book, “Trio,” published by “Baltos Lankos” publishing house (Vilnius, 1998), “NLO” publishing house (Moscow, 2004), Hosei University (Japan 2016) and “Tam – Tam” published by “NLO” publishing house (Moscow, 2009).
In 2009, Vladimir Tarasov received the Triumph Prize in Moscow: Russia's independent prize for the highest achievements in literature and art. He was awarded Lithuania’s National Culture and Arts Prize in 2016.
Mr. Tarasov has performed with such musicians and artists as Andrew Cyrille, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, Anthony Braxton, Lauren Newton, and Josef Nadj.
Liudas Mockunas has been active on European Jazz scene as solo performer and co-leader of bands Pasborg - Mockunas Toxikum, Saga Quartet, Red Planet, Kablys, duos with Marc Ducret, Ryoji Hojito and Vladimir Tarasov. He is a member of Pasborg’s Odessa 5, Vladimir Tarasov Trio, Copenhagen Art Ensemble, the Lithuanian New Music ensemble Gaida. He played with Piere Dorge’s New Jungle Orchestra, Andrew Hill's Jazz Par Octet, Mikko Innanen’s Inkvisitio, Ibrahim Electric, Trio VD, Mats Gustafsson, Burry Guy, Raymond Strid, Frank Gratkowski, Vladimir Chekasin, Jaak Sooaar, Jacob Anderskov, Marc Solborg, Jonas Westergaard, Mats Eilertsen, Nils Davidsen, Jakob Riis... The creative interests of Mockūnas are focused on improvised music and experimental jazz stage.
In 2004 Liudas Mockunas and Stefan Pasborg band Toxikum reiceved the "Danish Music Award'  for there album "Toxikum", Mockunas also has reiceved "Vilnius Jazz Prize" 2006', Birstonas Jazz 2008, the Lithuanian Musicians Union prize "Golden Disc" 2008' and the “Golden Cross” for the best Lithuanian drama theatre composer 2011. Mockunas plays new academic music of such composers as Anatolijus Senderovas, Alvydas Malcys, Dietrich Eichmann, Bronius Kutavicius, Giedrius Puskunigis, Vykintas Baltakas, Viacheslav Ganelin. As a soloist of new academic music he played with Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Kralovy Hradec Symphony Orchestra, St. Christofer Chamber Orchestra, Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra and string quartet Chordos. Eugenijus Kanevičius is a bassist of a wide and diverse style ranging from radical free to melodious mainstream. His playing attests to a refined harmonic and polyphonic thinking, and his original compositions reveal a distinctive musical philosophy, especially in his sacral jazz projects. To expand the timbral range of acoustic and electric bass, he employs electronic additions, guitar, trumpet, tuba and voice. Kanevičius has been on jazz stage since 1985 and has performed with nearly all established Lithuanian jazz artists. The bassist also performs solo.
Kanevičius is also a welcome member of international jazz groups.
The bassist has composed a number of songs, chants and instrumental pieces, also music for cinema and theatre.