Danielius Praspaliauskis
One of the most versatile among Lithuanian saxophonists and composers is Danielius Praspaliauskis who has mastered an astonishing stylistic range from Dixieland to acid jazz. He is also known for his experiments with Bulgarian and other unconventional rhythms, leading to explorations of the territory between jazz and academic music. His saxophone is often heard in various pop acts and on their albums. He has also performed and recorded contemporary music, including that by Lithuanian composers, and appeared in various new music festivals. As a saxophonist, he has been active on Lithuanian jazz scene since 1991. Since 1994 he has appeared as a leader and co-leader with the Danielius Praspaliauskis Quartet and Quintet, Danielius Praspaliauskis Dixieland, and the group Contra Jazz, for which he also writes original compositions. He is also a member of the Lithuanian Radio and Television Big Band.
Jūratė Kučinskaitė
The Other Territory - Burlesque
The Other Territory - Made in Bulgaria
Vytautas Germanavičius - Waniskā
Biography
Danielius Praspaliauskis (b. 1970) is a versatile saxophonist, playing different jazz styles as well as academic music, and experimenting with various elements of ethnic music (such as rhythmic complexities of Balkan folk, etc).
He studied at music school in Plungė and Stasys Šimkus Conservatory in Klaipėda. In 1991 he arrived in Vilnius to continue his music studies and soon became actively involved in Lithuanian jazz stage. After graduation from the Lithuanian Academy of Music (saxophone class of Petras Vyšniauskas) in 1995, he started playing abroad: at the Varna Jazz Festival in Bulgaria with Anatoly Vapirov Big Band, and the Jazz in Marciac Festival in France with his own quintet. He has also appeared with the EBU Big Band, the European Jazz Youth Orchestra, and a number of Lithuanian orchestras: the Lithuanian Radio and Television Orchestra, Kaunas Big Band and Lithuanian Art Orchestra led by Vladimir Tarasov. With different groups he has toured a number of European countries.
In 1994 he made his debut as a leader with his quartet, since then he has been organizing different groups, the Danielius Praspaliauskis Dixieland among them, and composing for them. He teamed up with his constant associate Arūnas Šlaustas to create a quintet Contra Jazz, which explores various possible connections of jazz and academic music.
He has been collaborating with the composer Linas Rimša, participated in his projects "Opera in da House", "Standard Life" and "Guerilla Jazz.lt". His saxophone often accompanies performances of pop musicians and can be heard in their albums. In 2004-05 his group was constantly featured by a TV program "Saturday Show".
Praspaliauskis has a solid experience as a performer of academic music: he has performed with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Vilnius String Quartet and the ensemble Ex tempore. He has recorded a number of works by contemporary Lithuanian composers and is a constant participant of the contemporary music festivals in Lithuania and abroad, among them, Warsaw Autumn in Poland and Caravan in Mongolia.
Over the recent years he has been performing with Contra Jazz and is a soloist of the Lithuanian Radio and Television Big Band. He also teaches music at the Lithuanian Youth Centre.
© Jūratė Kučinskaitė
Tel: +370 687 81455
Danielius and Jazz Trio
Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Dainius Pulauskas - ky, Vladislav Borkovski - b, Linas Būda - dr
Bomba Records BBMC 039, 1995 (MC)
Duo
Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Linas Rimša - ky, harm, programming, Dainius Pulauskas - ky, programming
Pūkas 183, 1995 (MC)
Danielius Praspaliauskis Dixieland
Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Liudas Mockūnas - sax, Valerijus Ramoška - tp, Skirmantas Sasnauskas - tb, Arūnas Šlaustas - p, Gintaras Šulinskas - g, Vladislav Borkovski - b, Linas Būda - dr
Lithuanian National Radio and Television LRCD 0004, 2000 (CD)
The Other Territory
Contra Jazz: Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Arūnas Šlaustas - ky, Vytautas Mikeliūnas - v, Vladislav Borkovski - b, Marijus Aleksa - dr
Juosta Records JRCD 020, 2005 (CD)
As a group member and guest musician
EBU Public Jazz Concert
European Broadcasting Union Big Band
Česky Rozhlas CR 0036-2-531, 1995 (CD)
This Time Forever
Anatoly Vapirov International Big Band
AVA Records 0006, 1996 (CD)
LRT Popular Music Orchestra
LRT Orchestra
Bonifa Records 01496, 1996 (CD)
Tele Bim-Bam, bet ne vaikam
Bomba Records BBCD 140, 2000 (CD)
Jūratė and Kastytis. Rock Opera
Valerijus Ramoška - tp, Tomas Karka - tb, Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Žilvinas Smalys - bn, Mantvydas Kodis - ky, Gediminas Jakutis - g, Sergei Trofimov - g, b, Gintautas Gascevičius - dr, Aurimas Povilaitis - perc, Dainius Jucius - jaw harp, choir "Stačios kruopos" + soloists: Aistė Smilgevičiūtė, Marijonas Mikutavičius, Kostas Smoriginas, Saulė Laurinaitytė, Vladas Bagdonas, Olegas Ditkovskis
Prior Records PRCD-006, 2002 (CD)
I Give My Love for You
LRT Orchestra and soloists
Lithuanian National Radio and Television LRCD 035-1, 2003 (CD)
Deadly
SKAMP: Erica Jennings - voc, Vee Diawara - voc, g, ky, programming, Willux - rap + guests: Gints Pabērzs - sax, voc, Deniss Paškevičs - sax, voc, Saulius Didžiulis - ky, Arvydas Skirutis - ky, Martynas Kuliavas - g, Andrius Daugirdas - b, Domantas Aleksa - b, Marijus Aleksa - dr, Valerijus Ramoška - tp, Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Eimantas Belickas - v, Linas Rimša - ky, programming, DJ Mamania - turntables, Oumar Konaté - g, Neidy - voc, Lacina Coulibaly - voc
Melodija/Tabami Records, 2005 (CD)
Mirror of Memory 3
Anatoly Vapirov International Big Band: Petras Vyšniauskas - ss, Danielius Praspaliauskis - as, bs, Petar Momchev - ts, Nicolas Simion - ts, Andrei Prozorov - as, Georgy Stefanov - tp, Jason Carder - tp, Alexander Wladigeroff - tp, Miroslav Pyatnikov - tp, Schreck Ferenc - tb, Liviu Marculescu - tb, Skirmantas Sasnauskas - tb, Stoyan Yankoulov - perc, Hristo Yotsov - dr, Antony Donchev - p, Vladimir Volkov - b
AVA Records 0029, 2005 (CD)
In compilations
The Artgenda Music
"Babrungas"
Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Dainius Pulauskas - ky, Vladislav Borkovski - b, Linas Būda - dr
Artgenda, 1996 (CD)
Lithuanian Folk Dreams. Contemporary Folk Music
"Duo"
Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Linas Rimša - ky, programming
Kukū Records SMF 019, 2003 (CD)
Jazzy Lithuania
"Cognition" / "Roundabout"
Contra Jazz: Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Arūnas Šlaustas - ky, Vytautas Mikeliūnas - v, Vladislav Borkovski - b, Marijus Aleksa - dr
Judita Bartoševičienė VMJ 001, 2004 (CD)
Free Spirits: Jazz from Lithuania 2005
"Burlesque"
Contra Jazz: Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Arūnas Šlaustas - ky, Vytautas Mikeliūnas - v, Vladislav Borkovski - b, Marijus Aleksa - dr
"Christmas' 99"
Linas Rimša - ky, programming, jaw harp, Valerijus Ramoška - tp, Danielius Praspaliauskis - as, Neda Malūnavičiūtė - fl, Victor "Vee" Diawara - rap, DJ Mamania - turntables
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD 026, 2005 (CD)
Lithuanian Pop / Rock / Folk / Jazz Music Sampler MIDEM 2006
"A Ka Guelen" / "L'Attente"
SKAMP: Erica Jennings - voc, Vee Diawara - voc, g, ky, programming + guests: Martynas Kuliavas - g, Andrius Daugirdas - b, Marijus Aleksa - dr, Valerijus Ramoška - tp, Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Oumar Konaté - g, Neidy - voc, Lacina Coulibaly - voc
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD 034, 2006 (CD)
Note Lithuania: Jazz
"1-2-3"
Valerijus Ramoška - tp, Danielius Praspaliauskis - as, Neda Malūnavičiūtė - fl, Linas Rimša - ky, programming
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD+DVD 002, 2007 (CD)
As a performer of academic music
Lithuanian New Music Year 1997
Osvaldas Balakauskas. "Polylogue"
Danielius Praspaliauskis - as, St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, cond. Donatas Katkus
Bronius Kutavičius. "Far Away, Till Midnight"
Lina Miniūtė - v, Aidas Jurgaitis - v, Renatas Jankevičius - va, Onutė Švabauskaitė - vc, Jonas Stalyga - db, Vytautas Labutis - ss, Danielius Praspaliauskis - as, Rimvydas Paulikas - as, Liudas Mockūnas - ts, Vytautas Mockūnas - bs, cond. Donatas Katkus
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD 004, 1998 (CD)
Beads
Onutė Narbutaitė. "Beads"
Ex tempore: Gintarė Skerytė - S, Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Skirmantas Sasnauskas - tb, Arnoldas Gurinavičius - db, Arūnas Šlaustas - p, Saulius Astrauskas - perc
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD 005, 1998 (CD)
e-muzika 2002
Vytautas Germanavičius. "Waniskā"
Danielius Praspaliauskis - saxes, panpipes, whistles
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD 013, 2002 (CD)
Algirdas Martinaitis: Pieta
Regina Maciūtė - S, Vytautas Juozapaitis - Bar, Petras Vyšniauskas - sax, Jan Maksimowicz - sax, Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, Jūratė Bundzaitė - org, Kaunas State Choir, choir "Aidija", Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, cond. Robertas Šervenikas
Bonifa Records 0180, 2003 (CD)
Gaida
Remigijus Merkelys. "Compass"
Gaida Ensemble, Danielius Praspaliauskis - sax, cond. Daniel Gazon
Caprice CAP 21718, 2005 (SACD)
Lithuanian Voice
Bronius Kutavičius. "Far Away, Till Midnight"
Lina Miniūtė - v, Aidas Jurgaitis - v, Renatas Jankevičius - va, Onutė Švabauskaitė - vc, Jonas Stalyga - db, Vytautas Labutis - ss, Danielius Praspaliauskis - as, Rimvydas Paulikas - as, Liudas Mockūnas - ts, Vytautas Mockūnas - bs, cond. Donatas Katkus
His Voice, 2006 (CD)