At the end of May, guitarist and composer Rihards Lībietis together with his orchestra “Rihards Lībietis Orchestra” released an album of 12 compositions “Willful Blindness”. In a telephone conversation, we discussed both the aftertaste of the work done and how to make instrumental music to a wider audience.
The album “Willful Blindness” tells about each person’s responsibility to himself and the world around him, about faith in his own strength. According to the idea, part of the funding for the release of the album was collected by joint efforts – with the support of friends and music lovers in the “Project Bank”. Although the album brings ideas for reflection alone, musically it is energetic, fast and danceable.
Not only Rihards Lībietis (acoustic, electric guitar), Gints Smukais (acoustic guitar), Matīss Repsis (percussion), Erna Daugaviete (cello) and Jānis Polis (bass), but also guest artists Valters Šmits participated in the recording of “Willful Blindness” saxophone), Mārtiņš Miļevskis (percussion), Reinis Klatenbergs (horn) and Laura Rozenberga (trombone).
Albums “Willful Blindness”
Photo: Jānis Romanovskis
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Aiga Leitholde: The album “Willful Blindness” has been out for a month. This month has probably given us time to look back and evaluate the work done. How does it feel?
Rihards Lībietis: Yes, the feeling is getting better every day. It usually happens that by the time the album is released, the last work has to be done – it’s a tense race. Therefore, the joy and the feeling of the work done is only now beginning to appear. On the day of the album’s release on May 31, we had a live concert and we haven’t had another concert in June yet. In July, we will meet with the audience both as a trio – in Sigulda on July 16, and in full on July 18 at the art picnic of Luznava manor together with Mārtiņš Milevskis as special guests.
Is the album influenced by folk music, danceable, or is it a conscious choice?
Yes, the album is active, at a relatively fast pace. It is difficult to judge how conscious this choice was. Our main source of influence for this album is basically West African folk music, which is characterized by fast pace. With this album, we wanted to thematically touch on more serious topics that have arisen during this pandemic and self-isolation – loneliness, struggle with oneself, friendship between light and dark side.
Although the themes are serious and could be said to have arisen at such a gloomy time, with this album we want to convey to the listeners that everything is possible!
We can rise above it all, have fun and realize our creative potential.
As for the music of the “Richard Liv Orchestra”, it seems that it will have a wider audience abroad in terms of genre.
That is a good question. We are trying to move abroad and in the past we have had good cooperation with the festival “iDEEJazz” in Estonia. We have spoken there twice already, and the cooperation will continue in the future. In my opinion, the desire for genre boundaries is starting to decrease in Latvia.
It seems to me that for a long time the concept of genres in music has become unnecessary, because in the end everyone is influenced by everyone.
So many influences converge in one place that such a strict division into genres is not possible today. But, of course, we would like to sound more in Latvia. We’ve noticed that people are a little afraid that it’s just instrumental music. And you see, I also unknowingly said – only instrumental music. (“Who will sing to you there?”) But it’s a big job on our shoulders – to convince the audience that there are also situations and moments when you don’t need vocals at all, that instrumental music is full and interesting enough to listen to at a concert.
Instrumental music seems to be mainly associated with cinema for the general public. My first association is with Mike Oldfield’s instrumental music. What can you suggest, how to start listening to instrumental music, break those stereotypes?
I also started with the same Mike Oldfield that my dad listened to a lot in my childhood. When I started playing guitar and playing instrumental music at a certain age, I perceived all this as one of the ways of expressing music. To start my instrumental music experience, I can recommend listening to solo instrument players, say, acoustic guitarists, who are currently popular here in Latvia as well – Kaspars Zemītis and Mārcis Auziņš do a very good and beautiful job. Among the foreign virtuosos, mention should be made of Tommy Emmanuel and Andy McCain. These musicians can give a good starting point to understand that instrumental music, guitar music, has the same emotions and power as a song. How to change the overall picture in general? It would be cool if there was a radio station in Latvia, which would give more opportunities to play non-academic instrumental music on the air – one that is not jazz and is not academic music either. From personal experience, it is often the case that when I say “instrumental music”, which is additionally performed by an orchestra, then it must be explained that it is not a brass band and we do not perform academic music. But overall, understanding of our operations has improved in five to six years.
At the same time, you are also involved in pop music projects. How are you inspired and what role does pop music play in your life?
You know, I don’t divide music into pop music and like intellectual music.
On this point, I agree with Keith Richards that there is only good and bad music.
As good music, you can define something that speaks to you, has a message that inspires you. On the other hand, bad music could probably be something you listen to and remain completely indifferent to. If you look at it, then what I’m doing with the orchestra is really inseparable from what I’m doing in other musicals right now. I follow pop music. One of my all-time favorite pop artists is John Meyer. Every now and then I also obey Billy Ailis. I myself do not have any current events in the field of pop music. If we talk about plans, then in September we plan to release another album, which will be my solo album – instrumental music, but completely different than with an orchestra.
You have used the pandemic time creatively
Yes, there were no other options! Somehow they had to deal with their depression and gloomy thoughts. Sitting at home, you get a lot of time, and when the artist, the musician has too many thoughts in his head, turning them into music is the best way to turn it into a brighter spectrum.
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