Andrew Downing Riga Quartet
Andrew Downing – double bass (Canada)
Toms Rudzinskis – alto saxophone (Latvia)
Dominykas Vyšniauskas – trumpet (Lithuania)
Kaspars Kurdeko – drums (Latvia)
(modern jazz, Nordic jazz)
Formed in Rīga, Latvia in 2025 by renowned Canadian bassist Andrew Downing, this international quartet brings together creative musicians from two continents in a shared exploration of sound and place.
Drawing on their collective experience of life in the North, the band’s music reflects the extremes of the landscape—from bitter cold to intense heat, from the majesty and mystery of the forest to the vast openness and freedom to explore. Their sound is informed by the adventurous spirit of Dave Douglas, Ornette Coleman, and Carla Bley, while forging a distinctive musical language of its own.
The quartet’s instrumentation—double bass, trumpet, saxophone, and drums—creates a rich and highly textured palette, bringing together breath, metal, wood, and resonance. Through interpretation, improvisation, interplay, and a deep sense of musical curiosity, the band creates music that is both grounded and expansive, balancing composition and spontaneity in equal measure.
