Selected Collaborations
Arta Jēkabsone & Erik Leuthauser “Yesterday Still Lies Between The Floorboards”
Two voices, nothing more. Arta Jēkabsone and Erik Leuthäuser explore the possibilities of the human voice through original compositions, improvisation, soundscapes, electronics, and vocal harmony. Moving between light and darkness, intimacy and abstraction, their music creates a world where two voices become an entire ensemble. Inspired by artists such as Meredith Monk, Jenny Hval, and Nils Frahm, the duo draws from their musical lives across New York, Berlin, Latvia, and Finland. Their debut album,YesterdayStill Lies Between the Floorboards, was released in 2018, followed by BeachFinds in 2022. The duo continues to collaborate and create new music together. Listen to their live performance here…
Arta Jēkabsone & Erik Leuthauser “BeachFinds”
Quintessential purveyors of minimal vocal jazz
Erik Leuthäuser discovered a volume of poetry by British poet Dean Wilson in a London bookshop and introduced Arta Jēkabsone to his work while the two were recording in New York. Drawn to Wilson’s simple, humorous, and deeply emotive words, they decided to set one of his poems to music, combining their voices with sparse, imaginative instrumentation. One song became three, three became ten,and eventually, BeachFinds was born. Poems written by a man from Hull on the beaches of the East Yorkshire coast, discovered in London by a German singer and shared with a Latvian New Yorker, became an album of intimate and touching songs. Erik and Arta had never met Dean. They had never even spoken to one another. The songs said all that was required. Click here to watch the music video “Blue”
Ilona’s Kudiņa’s BALTIC TRANSIT
Latvian-American flutist Ilona Kudiņa’s Baltic Transit brings together Latvian folk influences, jazz, and Latin American rhythms in a vibrant world-fusion setting. The ensemble features Ilona Kudiņan alongside pianist Viktors Ritovs, vocalist Arta Jēkabsone, drummer Artis Orubs, and Grammy-winning bassist Oscar Stagnaro. Hear the music video click here…
Concert Program ” Starp Diviem Likteņa Smējieniem”
Composer Anna Veismane’s songs were reimagined twenty years after their creation in a new concert program featuring Latvian jazz musicians Arta Jēkabsone, Krists Saržants, Jānis Rubiks, and Rūdolfs Dankfelds. Set to poetry by prominent Latvian writers including Ojārs Vācietis, Māris Čaklais, Māra Zālīte, and Andris Akmentiņš, the music explores existential questions, personal growth, transformation, joy, freedom, and the poetic imagery of rain and sun. Listen to the music here…
Samir LanGus Band
Moroccan Gnawa musician Samir LanGus brings the centuries-old traditions of North African Gnawa music into dialogue with the contemporary sounds of New York City. Arta Jēkabsone has collaborated with the Samir LanGus Band as a vocalist, performing alongside Carolina Mama at New York venues and festivals, including BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn and Winter Jazzfest. Hear his album here…
Carolina Mama
Carolina Mama brings together intimate vocals, storytelling, and musical influences from South America, Mexico, Morocco, Cape Verde, and New York. Her original music explores themes of womanhood, oppression, resilience, and hope for change. Arta Jēkabsone has collaborated with Carolina Mama as a backing vocalist and occasional violinist. Hear a recording of her…
Fairytale “Aisma” by Edgars Cīrulis
AISMA is an international ensemble of musicians performing a through-composed suite, based on a narrative. The music is vivid, full of splashes of color, pulsating micro rhythms and melodies, it exists in a very unique line between composition and improvisation, where the main focus is not on the individual, but the collective. Listen to music and support the music here…
Elephant Hil
Elephant Hill is a New York City–based jazz ensemble creating original music shaped by the diverse cultural roots of its members, bringing together influences from Latvia, Israel, and Argentina. The ensemble features Arta Jēkabsone on voice, Asaf Harris on saxophone, Stav Goldberg on piano, Belén López on double bass, and Shai Yuval on drums. Listen to their music here…
Recent CD project releases featuring Arta Jēkabsone:
Nick Marks is a New York–based composer for film, television, and multimedia, and a producer of sonic narratives that transcend musical boundaries. Described as “cinematic jazz electronica infused with hip-hop breaks and Latin flavors,”his music blends lush jazz harmonies, expansive arrangements, catchy hooks, and hard-hitting beats. Arta Jēkabsone has collaborated with Nick Marks on several recent projects, including the singles “Into the Void” and “Dedication for Gabi,” “Happy Place” as well as the film score for “West Hampton”, where she performs a choral piece composed by Marks.
New Zealand-born jazz artist Hamish Smith has quickly become one of the most in-demand bassists on the New York jazz scene. Described by NEA Jazz Master Todd Barkan as a “modern marvel – one of the great young bassists in the world,” Smith is known for his rhythmic inventiveness and groove-driven style. While his playing can be heard on nearly a dozen recordings as a sideman, he now steps forward with his debut album, Elsewhere Now, featuring guest vocals by Arta Jēkabsone. The first single, “Moonlight,” offers a glimpse into Smith’s distinctive musical voice, with the full album set for release in October 2025. Hear the live version of Moonlight…
Concerto for Piano & Bongos is a unique collaboration between Federico Fiervanti-Nelson and Edgars Cīrulis, blending the complexity of piano with the raw simplicity of bongos. Composed in 2017, the four-movement piece explores themes of change, loss, and presence, inspired by personal journeys. The third movement, “Hymn for the Lost Souls,” featuring Arta Jēkabsone on vocals, is a tribute to innocent lives lost in war and terrorism. This special version appears as a bonus track on the 2023 album Concerto for Piano & Bongos.
Tuomo Uusitalo is an award-winning pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. Having released three albums as a leader and appeared on numerous recordings as a sideman, he has firmly established himself on the New York jazz scene. He continues to tour internationally, both as a bandleader and a sideman. Arta Jēkabsone met Tuomo Uusitalo in New York City while they were both living in Brooklyn. The two have performed together as a duo, including at the Jazz Kukko Festival in Laitila, Finland, in 2017. In 2020, Arta Jēkabsone collaborated on Tuomo Uusitalo’s solo piano album Songs From Suspended Times, contributing vocals on two tracks – “…and he whistled a folk song” and “Struggle in Stability”.
Kenta Shimakawa’s debut album “Glimpse” as a leader, featuring an aggressive and colorful blend of metal and jazz performed by a cast of musicians from around the world. Arta Jēkabsone is featured on the Dunuyeah Pt.1 & Dunuyeah Pt.2. Support the music here…
Clifford Cameron’s debut album ” Katahdin” is Narrative driven, through-composed and improvised chamber music, influenced by Jazz, Folk, Celtic and Classical music, performed by a group of young professional New York-based musicians. Support the music here…