Juozas Milašius
Guitarist, composer and author of various performances, the enfant terrible of the Lithuanian jazz scene. Probably no other Lithuanian jazz musicians has stirred up so much controversy as the experimenting conceptualist Juozas Milašius. Having made his stage debut in 1986, he earned the reputation of the most uncompromising jazzman in Lithuania, entering the areas of total free, uncontrollable noise and bizarre sounds, provoking both unconditional admiration and relentless opposition. Completely overtaken by the guitar, Juozas Milašius has tested the limits of this instrument playing solo and experimenting in various projects with improvisers, electronic and experimental sound artists.
Jūratė Kučinskaitė
j.m.eilė - The Time of Roses and Wine
Slow - Kino
Biography
Probably no other Lithuanian jazz musician has stirred up so much controversy as the experimenter Juozas Milašius (b. 1968). The guitarist, composer and author of various performances has earned the reputation of the most uncompromising Lithuanian jazzman, entering the areas of total free, uncontrollable noise and bizarre sounds. His explorations have been received with both blind sympathy and stubborn opposition.
He made his stage debut in 1986 with Petras Vyšniauskas Quartet, later he has been member of the groups led by Vladimir Chekasin, Vytautas Labutis, Vladimir Tarasov, Tomas Kutavičius and others. He has collaborated with Dalius Naujokaitis, Skirmantas Sasnauskas, Eugenijus Kanevičius, Arkady Gotesman, also with Jim Meneses, Martin Schütz, Hans Koch, Fredy Studer, Sainkho Namchilak, Ned Rothenberg, Lindsay Cooper, Jimmy Owens, Jonas Mekas, Dror Feiler, Luc Houtkamp, Saadet Türköz and ZU.
Enthralled by guitar, Milašius continues to explore its possibilities as a solo player; he has also teamed up with the celebrated improvisers into guitar groups, Guitarmania (1989) and Golden Guitars (1998).
In recent years he has added computers to his arsenal of instruments and started performing with experimental sound artists, such as Kouhei Matsunaga from Japan, and as a leader of Milašius Power Trio. He has been featured by many European jazz, contemporary music and art events: Jazz Jamboree (1987, Warsaw), Leipziger Jazztage (1991), Jazz Across the Borders (1991, Berlin), Ars Baltica Prolog (1992, Berlin), Willisau Jazz Festival (1993, Switzerland), International Festival of Music Lucerne (1993, Switzerland), JazzBaltica (1993, Salzau, Germany), Artacts (2003, Tyrol, Austria), SKIF (2005, St. Petersburg) and others.
Juozas Milašius has composed soundtracks for the films "It Also Snows in Paradise" (1994) and "A Journey into the Night" (2003). In 1994 teamed with Valdas Pranulis and Dalius Naujokaitis, they staged a drama performance based on Kobo Abe's "Woman in the Dunes", where the musician has also played a role.
© Jūratė Kučinskaitė
Musica de bailes para soldados
Juozas Milašius - g, Dalius Naujokaitis - dr
Tundra Records T 01, 1994 (MC)
It Also Snows in Paradise (music for film)
Vytautas Labutis - sax, Juozas Milašius - g, Dalius Naujokaitis - dr, Leonid Shinkarenko - b, Petras Vyšniauskas - sax, and others
WDB Records 002, 1994 (CD)
j.m.eilė
Juozas Milašius - g, comp
Juozas Milašius, 2002 (CD)
Slow
Juozas Milašius - g, comp
Nemu Records 009, 2009 (CD)
As a group member and guest musician
WaltzAtto
Vladimir Tarasov & Lithuanian Art Orchestra
Sonore Records SN 009, 1993 (CD)
The Pig's Saga
Petras Vyšniauskas - sax, Vytautas Labutis - sax, Valerijus Ramoška - tp, Juozas Milašius - g, Eugenijus Jonavičius - g, Giedrius Klimka - g, Romas Lileikis - g, Leonid Shinkarenko - b, Gediminas Laurinavičius - dr, Audrius Balsys - ky, programming, Daiva Urbanavičiūtė - voc, Artūras Pugačiauskas - voc, Andrius Žebrauskas - voc, Andrius Mamontovas - voc, Rima Musnickaitė - voc, Raimis Trilikauskas - voc
Bomba Records BBCD 002, 1993 (CD)
Pawnshop
Kostas Smoriginas - g, voc, Petras Vyšniauskas - sax, Juozas Milašius - g
Nona Music, 1993 (MC)
The Symphony of Joy. Free Music on Second Street
Dalius Naujokaitis - perc, Aleksandr Kazakevich - perc, Julius Ziz - perc, Jone Naujokaitis - p, Aura Naujokaitis - p, Vilija Naujokaitis - p, Jonas Mekas - voc, perc, Juozas Milašius - g, Berndt Jahnke - voc, and others
Dalius Naujokaitis JM0003CD3, 2001 (CD)
In compilations
Autumn Rhythms-86
"Perpetuum mobile" (fragment)
Petras Vyšniauskas Quartet: Petras Vyšniauskas - sax, Juozas Milašius - g, Leonid Shinkarenko - b, Gediminas Laurinavičius - dr
Melodija C60 25587 000, 1989 (LP)
Love Solid Möbius. Das dreidimensionale Möbiusband
"Tenderness"
Juozas Milašius - g, computer
Flying Swimming FS 00001, 2004 (CD)
Jauna muzika 2004
"Slow" (fragments)
Juozas Milašius - g, fx, Darius Čiuta - computer
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD 025, 2004 (CD)
Jazzy Lithuania
"Cold Cats"
Juozas Milašius - g, computer
Judita Bartoševičienė VMJ 001, 2004 (CD)
Free Spirits: Jazz from Lithuania 2005
"The Time of Roses and Wine"
Juozas Milašius - g, computer
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD 026, 2005 (CD)
Lithuanian Jazz 1980-1990
"Perpetuum mobile" (fragment)
Guitarmania: Juozas Milašius - g, Vladas Slavinskas - g, Vladislav Borkovski - b, Dalius Naujokaitis - dr
Semplice SECD014, 2005 (CD)
Note Lithuania: Jazz
"Kino"
Juozas Milašius - g
Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre LMIPCCD+DVD 002, 2007 (CD)