Jersika Records

Yuri Vikharev - The Lost Latvian Radio Studio Sessions 1967

£495.95 £549.95

: In stock

: Reel-To-Reel, 15 ips, ¼", 2-Track Stereo Tape

The second release of historical Latvian jazz recordings. Russian pianist Yuri Vikharev together with Latvian rhythm section - double bassist Juris Āķis...

The second release of historical Latvian jazz recordings. Russian pianist Yuri Vikharev together with Latvian rhythm section - double bassist Juris Āķis and drummer Einārs Raibais. Recorded in the Latvian TV Studio back in 1967.

The Lost Latvian TV Studio Sessions 1967: Yuri Vikharev, Juris Akis, Einars Raibais

Yuri Vikharev/Juris Akis/Einārs Raibais "The Lost Latvian TV Studio Sessions 1967" is a unique historical testament to Soviet and Latvian jazz in the 1960s.

Yuri Viharev (1936 - 1994) was a vibrant figure of the Soviet jazz era. He was a collector of jazz records, a lecturer, a jazz journalist, and one of the leaders of the 60s Leningrad jazz scene. A pianist who taught himself jazz. In the introduction to his autobiography, "Something to Remember – The Story of One Soviet Jazz Man" he writes that "...jazz came to my body and soul, and directed my choices and goals. Jazz is not simply music, but a lifestyle and a way of thinking."



Jazz bridged the gap between the Soviet reality and the free world. It was part of a much wider cultural space. Those who listened to Miles Davis also read the poetry of Osip Mandelstam. It was a form of internal emigration. Non-violent and creative. In the pages of his autobiography, Yuri Vikharev literally tastes his meetings with conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, jazz producer George Avakian, Willis Conover and Charles Lloyd. Those were incredible encounters. Today, it seems even more unbelievable that for several years Yuri Vikharev was also a journalist for DownBeat magazine, who wrote about the life of jazz in the Soviet Union. He received payment for his DownBeat articles in the form of records because obviously a Soviet citizen could not cash paycheques from a US publisher.

Yuri Vikharev's recordings were never issued during his lifetime. The session recorded at the Rīgas Āgenskalna Television Studio will finally reach its audience only now. It is the first official Yuri Vikharev recording ever released.

Bassist Juris Āķis recalls that on August 21st, 1967, a concert was scheduled for Latvian Television, with pianist Yuri Vikharev, drummer Einārs Raibais, and two upright bassists – himself and Georgiy Gavorgian. This concert recording has unfortunately been lost to time yet, miraculously, a recording of the previous day's rehearsal has survived. Gennady Goldstein once sent Juris Āķis a copy of this recording from St. Petersburg as a gift. He recalls that the musicians weren't even aware that the rehearsal session was being recorded.

Juris Āķis (1938) is also a key figure in many events in the life of jazz in Latvia. He was one of the founders of Latvia's first jazz festival KIKOK, he organized important jazz concerts, and was present at the Tallinn Jazz Festival in 1967. Thanks to his recollections and his personal archives, it is possible to restore many events from jazz history in Latvia from the latter half of the 20th century.

Among this recording's stand-out moments is the play of drummer Einārs Raibais (1941-1972). His contemporaries remember him as an energetic and technically powerful drummer whose creative path and life, while short, shone brightly. He has left his mark not only on the history of Latvian jazz — at the end of the 60s, he joined one of the founders of original rock music in Latvia, the rock group Katedrāle [Cathedral]. Unfortunately, no Katedrāle recordings have survived. As a result, this recording is also important in the wider context of popular music in Latvia.

Album: Yuri Vikharev - The Lost Latvian Radio Studio Sessions 1967
Label: Jersika Records - JRD005T
Format: Reel-To-Reel, 15 ips, ¼", 2-Track Stereo, 10.5" NAB Reel, Album, Limited, CCIR Or NAB Eq.
Country: Latvia
Released: 25 January 2023
Genre: Jazz
Style: Jazz

Tracklist:

1 So What 14:05
2 Znakomstvo - Delo Sluchaja 7:17
3 Milestones 6:25
4 Well, You Needn't 5:15
5 Lover Man 7:31

Musicians:
Yuri Vikharev - Piano
Juris Āķis - Upright Bass
Einārs Raibais - Drums

So What and Milestones composed by Miles Davis Well, You Needn't composed by Thhelonius Monk


Lover Man composed by Jimmy McHugh Znakomstvo - Delo Sluchaja composed by Yuri Vikharev

Recorded on 20th August 1967 at Latvian TV Studio, Agenskalns, Riga, Latvia. Recording Engineer: Pauls Dambis

Producer of the recording session: Viktors Levites
Remastered from the original master tape
Audio restoration and remastering by Mārtiņš Krastiņš

Original tapes property of Juris Akis
Sleeve Design: Edgars Ameriks
Produced and supervised by Mareks Ameriks

All tapes AAA pure analogue on SM-900 RTM tape on bespoke custom-made reel spool. Limited 100 copies for each release. Format: Reel-To-Reel, 15 ips, ¼", 2-Track Stereo, 10.5" NAB Reel, Limited Edition, IEC CCIR. Most of recordings on Jersika Records are made completely analogue – recorded live reel-to-reel to tape and carefully mastered to preserve the warmth of the sound. No noise reduction, equalization, compression nor limiting was used in recording this record.

AAA Analog Tape – master audio reel tape duplication copy is a handmade product in real-time, by sound engineers and studio professionals with today's technology advantages: more excellent dynamic range, especially at frequency extremes; minimal signal processing; and unsurpassed richness and realism - it's the closest to hearing the music on master tape copy.

The tape copy is transferred in real-time, using studio-level reel-to-reel tape recorders on the freshly made SM900 RTM audiotape. Production of audiotapes is a very time-consuming process, so each label usually can only release a new album in batches.

Compatible Tape Recorders:  here is a partial list of compatible tape recorders: 3M, Akai, Ampex 350, 351, 354, 440, MR70, ATR 100, 102, Ballfinger M063H1, M063H3, M063H5, M063H1IX, Crown, Denon, Fostex, Lyrec, Magnecord, Marantz, MCI, Mitsubishi, Nagra T, Nagra IV-S/QGB, Otari, Philips PRO35, PRO36, Pioneer RT707, Scully280, Shure, Sony, Stellavox, Studer B67, C37, A80, 810, A820, ReVox A77, C260, G36, PR99, Tandberg, Teac X2000, Tascam, Technics RS1500, Telefunken M5, M10, M12, M15, Thorens TM1600, United home audio and more.

Before you going to play the tape make sure that you clean open reel-to-reel tape recorder heads regularly for optimal frequency response. All above labels/studio's reel-to-reel tapes are tailed out, so before playback please rewind the tape first.

℗&© Exclusive Distribution By OpenReelToReel Hub in the UK For Jersika Records In Latvia. ℗ 1967 Juris Akis - Riga, Latvia

Music On Tape For Life - www.thesoundoftape.com

ITEM DELIVERY: Delivery times vary widely based on destination.

Terms of Sale: In principle, we can't accept returning and refunding but, we can accept only for defective products.

International Buyers - Please Note: Import duties, taxes & charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. Please be aware of these are buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying.

  • Standard delivered 4-5 Days
  • Express delivered 2-4 Days
  • Worldwide tracking delivered 4-14 Days

Orders are processed and delivered Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays)


Our customers enjoy top class customer services and 30 days returns.

  • Item Returns:

  • We want you to feel happy with your purchase, so if for any reason you are not, you may send your item(s) back to us within 14 days for a full refund or exchange free of charge.


    Item Returns: We want you to feel happy with your purchase, so if for any reason you are not, you may send your item(s) back to us within 14 days for a full refund or exchange free of charge.


    Please note, postage costs are non-refundable except in the following circumstances:

    * the item you receive is different to that ordered.

    * OR the item you receive is damaged or faulty.

    In the above cases, a full refund/exchange will be issued including any additional postage costs incurred by the buyer.


    *Please note, we can only refund up to the minimum postage amount required to send your item(s) back to us. Therefore, we always recommend that items be returned to us using the royal mails 2nd class service with recorded delivery for insurance purposes.


    All items must be returned to us in their original condition within 14 days of receipt. Please let us know beforehand why you are planning on sending an item back to us and remember to include this information in your return. It is also vital that you include your user id & item number so we can deal with your request for a refund or exchange as quickly as possible.


    All refunds will be issued via your original method of payment and normally take up to 3 working days to process.