Lee Fish - drums & compositions
Arta Jēkabsone - voice & compositions
Milena Casado - trumpet
Lawrence Fields - piano
Hannah Marks - bass
Keita Ogawa - percussion
Join vocalist/composer Arta Jēkabsone and drummer/composer Lee Fish for a special evening of original music in their debut collaboration, "Another Trip Around the Sun."
This first-time performance brings them to The Jazz Gallery stage — the very place where their musical paths first crossed a couple of years ago at a Holiday Party. That night, they discovered they shared more than just artistic chemistry: they were both born on May 29! Celebrate their unique musical connection and take a trip through music that is deeply personal, joyfully spontaneous, and full of life.
ARTA JĒKABSONE has won the prestigious Montreux Shure Jazz Voice Competition and has finished in the top three in multiple internationally renowned competitions. In 2021 she added 3rd prize at the Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Voice Competition to her long list of achievements. A New York City-based vocalist, her compositions are infused with the folk melodies of her homeland, Latvia. The music on her album, “Light” and “Reflections”, brims with intimacy, warmth, and crystal-clear focus. A vocal artist of the highest order, Arta regularly presents new works at the Jazz Gallery, one of New York City’s premier venues. In fact, she was awarded the Jazz Gallery Residency Commission Grant 2021. In 2023, music the Latvian Music Award “New Artist of the Year 2022”.ASCAP Foundation recently recognized her with an honorable mention in the 2024 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards and in May 2024 she concluded her artist residency at The Church in Sag Harbor.
ASCAP Foundation recently recognized her with an honorable mention in the 2024 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards and in May 2024 she concluded her artist residency at The Church in Sag Harbor. Currently, she is working on two upcoming albums: her solo Latvian-folk-jazz-world project "Dziesmu Kamoliņš" (Garland of Songs) and "Impressions of an Era," featuring the Latvian Radio Big Band and Latvian jazz saxophonist and composer Toms Rudzinskis, set for release in Fall 2025.
“Arta Jēkabsone is a voice that will soothe any pain or suffering. She is the guardian and ambassador of light, love, and peace. Yet, she still can bedazzle you with complex, but not overwhelming lines and melodies, and she freely takes command of harmony and rhythm.”
— Composer and pianists Edgars Cīrulis
Acclaimed Boston-born drummer and composer LEE FISH has been part of the thriving New York City music scene since 2018. A fixture at Wally’s Cafe during his student tenure at Berklee — playing with such distinctive leaders as Jason Palmer, Esperanza Spalding, Nadia Washington, and Evgeny Lebedev — Lee became a highly sought collaborator in Boston, and is now freelancing as well as leading his own band in NYC.
In the studio and on the bandstand, Lee has enjoyed artistic associations with a range of icons, including Danilo Perez, Warren Wolf, Gary Burton, Julian Lage, John Ellis, David Gilmore and Ryan Scott, among others. Lee’s artistry allows energy to inform his choices on the bandstand. His aesthetic reflects joyful confrontation. He seeks to challenge traditional constructs, mingle genres and push the music in soulful new directions, always inviting the listener along for the ride.
The centerpiece of Lee’s expression is groove. At once thoughtful and unpredictable, he plays with a vitality as pervasive as the heartbeat that pulses from one moment to the next. His dynamic sensitivity serves the music wherever it wants to go. And his familial connection to harmony influences textural intentions and experimentation.
Lee performs regularly throughout New York City including venues such as The Jazz Gallery, Birdland, and Sunny’s. He has been a Zildjian artist since 2018, and looks forward to releasing new music in the coming months and recording his debut album in 2025.
“Lee Fish is one of my favorites — inventive, tasteful, and exciting — a creative force to watch for on the instrument”
— Terri Lyne Carrington
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The Jazz Gallery is a not-for-profit arts organization presenting emerging artists who challenge convention, take creative risks, and lead their field as performers, composers and thinkers. We provide a platform for artists to discover their unique voice and a home for established musicians to continue to experiment and grow. At The Jazz Gallery, artists and audiences come together from around the world to explore new creative ideas, collaborate and celebrate jazz as a dynamic art form that reflects our ever-changing world.
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