Arkady Gotesman (b. 1959) is one of the unsung heroes of European free jazz
and free music, and clearly one of the most distinctive percussionists and
improvisers in Lithuania. He was born in Ukraine (and his name is often
spelt as Arkadijus Gotesmanas). From an early age, he decided that music
would be not only his vocation but also his way of telling stories—personal,
cultural, and universal. His professional career of more than 35 years
encompasses contemporary music, local interdisciplinary theatre, dance,
film, and poetry productions, klezmer music, collaborations with local
heroes like Vyacheslav Ganelin, Vladimir Tarasov, Liudas Mockūnas, and
Petras Vyšniauskas, as well as recorded albums with innovative improvisers
such as Charles Gayle, Martin Küchen, Nate Wooley, and Barry Guy.
Music for an Imaginary Ballet (Muzika neegzistuojančiam baletui, which can
also be translated as Music for Non-Existent Ballet) celebrates Gotesman’s
creative legacy. It is based on his chamber solo percussion performance that
reflects his entire creative path. The album is structured as a
twelve-movement suite, or a musical diary that visits many collaborative,
free improvised meetings, collecting pieces from 2000 to 2025, all recorded
live around Lithuania.
The album begins and closes with short, evocative solo percussion pieces,
“Stiklo Gabaliukai) (glass pieces), dedicated to the surrealist painter Marc
Chagall. The powerful duet with Mockūnas, “It’s coming”, highlights
Gutesman’s qualities as a fearless, imaginative improviser who transforms
every musical meeting into a singular, adventurous, and unpredictable
journey, making it a boundless playground where he could explore rhythm,
silence, sound, and texture with unlimited freedom. The pieces with Trio
Alliance (Ganelin on piano and synth, and Vyšniauskas on reeds), and the one
with quartet Emiritus (Vyšniauskas on reeds and piano, Vytautas Labutis on
reeds and piano, and double bass player Eugenijus Kanevičus) stress
Gutesman’s precise textual touches, and the clever way he introduces a light
groove. The duet with pianist Tomas Kutavičus explores both improvisers’
nuanced, rhythmic language.
The duet with Gayle (with whom Gotesman recorded the trio album Our Souls:
Live In Vilnius, NoBusiness, 2009, with double bass player Dominic Duval)
dives into spiritual, fiery free jazz. The duets with Nate Wooley (with
whom Gotesman recorded Nox, NoBusiness, 2020, with Mockūnas and double bass
master Barry Guy) and the one with Martin Küchen (with whom Gotesman
recorded Live At Vilnius Jazz Festival, NoBusiness, 2016, with double bass
player Mark Tokar) suggest two colourful but completely different stories –
the first one is introspective and poetic, while the latter is restless and
intense, but both are beautifully articulated by these resourceful
improvisers-storytellers. The trio with Ned Rothenberg and double bass
player Vladimir Volkov features Gotesman as a modern shaman conducting an
uplifting rhythmic ritual.