Toms Rudzinskis electric quintet ABYSS
Best Jazz Album & Top 5 Album of the Year
The Annual Latvian Music Recording Awards 2023/2024
ABOUT
Toms Rudzinskis ABYSS plays jazz and improvised music exploring the possibilities of electronics. Heavily rhythmic and melodic, bending jazz, rock and contemporary music influences, the quintet paints their musical journey with expressive strokes, exciting improvisation and intense yet intricate live sound.
Having stirred up the local Berlin jazz scene and Rudzinskis’ country of origin Latvia, the project brings together some of the most exciting and fresh faces in Europe. Called “a talent in finding the unbeaten path where tradition meets extremely intellectual, free, complicated and interesting musicianship” Rudzinskis’ compositions open a musical conversation meant to be explored, highlighting all musicians’ personalities and backgrounds. Melodic, emotive and musically compelling, ABYSS is an act to keep an eye on.
Inspired by mythologist Campbell’s “hero with a thousand faces” their new self-titled album “ABYSS” tells a multi-layered story of a contemporary person’s search for meaning and answers through the abyss of the unknown, with music as one’s guide and teacher.
With their debut album ABYSS recorded in Berlin at the Soundfabrik Berlin studio (previously known as Blackbird Music Studio), with a successfully crowdfunded campaign for album release and a tour in the Baltic states in late 2023, ABYSS received the Latvian Music Records Award for Best Jazz Album of 2023 and was announced as one of top 5 best albums of 2023 on March 8, 2024.
Featured on Europe Jazz Media Chart January 2024.
Reviews
5/5 🌟 “…saturated, multi-layered contemporary jazz looking into the spiritual and jazz-rock directions.. music that flows through consciousness letting one get carried away.. a conceptual work that attests to Rudzinskis’ new musical horizons.“
– Kaspars Zavileiskis, Music Sun
5/5 🌟 “ABYSS can be considered an elaborate large-scale jazz composition… where the ensemble’s cohesion and Rudzinska’s musically architectural vision can be fully appreciated. [..] The composer’s ability to step outside the traditional formal logic… is commendable and justifiable.”
– Ēriks Miezis, JazzIn.lv
Toms Rudzinskis’ ABYSS spoke with creative imagination, emotional plasticity and intensity of the artistic dramaturgy.
– Armands Znotiņš,
The Latvian Grand Music Award juror in “Latvijas Avīze” newspaper
Album Lineup
Toms Rudzinskis (Latvia), saxophone, compositions
Igor Osypov (Ukraine), electric guitar
Povel Widestrand (Sweden), keyboards
Tom Berkmann (Germany), electric bass
Fabian Rösch (Germany), drums
Mette Nadja Hansen (Denmark), voice
VIDEO / PHOTO
Live from ABYSS release tour @ Baltics
Live session @ Funkhaus Studio, Berlin
Live @ Kuhlspot Social Club, Berlin
Live @ Riga City Festival, Latvia
Live @ Side Ways Series, Berlin
Photo: Mari Poller | Video: Kate Elpo
Live @ Donau115, Berlin
Secret House Show, Berlin
