Jazzkaar 2016 proved yet again that music is universal and international. Performing in Tallinn was the Lithuanian bass superstar from Kaunas – Domas Aleksa. Domas has been playing different instruments since he was six and eventually settled on bass. He’s constantly on the road, touring with different musicians all over the globe. He returned to Jazzkaar to present his new album Time Twister to the Estonian audience.
The Time Twister is a fusion of jazz, funk, rock and electronics. Most songs started with synthesised sounds and then had the instruments join in. Some of the instruments were not completely standard: Domas’s bass had six string instead of the usual four. Robin Aristorenas’s, who was presented to the public as a “future harp star”, guitar definitely had more than six strings.
Some of the songs were groovier and upbeat, some were a non-stop flow of solos. One of the songs was Slow, “the slowest song ever”, as the band itself said. A highlight of the show was Basic Language that ended in an impressive drum solo performed by Domas’s younger brother, Marijus Aleksa. He was so energetic that you could see bits of his drumsticks flying away. In addition, some songs featured recorded vocals by a London based singer Ka Boukie.
Domas was very social and friendly. He kept making jokes, asking the audience what they thought about the music. After the last song, which sounded as if Dream Theatre composed a closing credits tune for a fantasy movie with a happy ending, he invited everyone to hang out with the band, talk and share impressions.
Check the pictures of the concert here.
Domas Aleksa Group (Lithuania)
April 26th, 7:30 pm at Punane Maja
Domas Aleksa – bass
Liutauras Janusaitis – electronics, ewi
Robin Aristorenas – guitars
Kestutis Vaiginis – saxophone
Marijus Aleksa – drums