Born in 1976, the Lithuanian reed player has been an influential figure in Lithuanian jazz. He is a representative for a young Lithuanian generation of jazz musicians and has performed in many parts Europe, USA, Israel and Turkey. Mockunas received his MA degree from Lithuanian Musical Academy in 2002 and his MA degree from Rhythmic Music Conservatory, Copenhagen, Denmark in 2005. He has been awarded several prizes in Lithuanian and Latvian classical competitions. He is a trio with M.A.P. Jacob Anderskov (piano), and Stefan music in Poirtiers. France. He has 7 albums under his own name, 15 as a sideman and Andrew Hill’s Jazz Par Octet. LIudas album “Toxikum” with Marc Ducret (“ILK”) recods, which he released together with Danish drummer Stefan Pasborg, won the Danish grammy “Jazz Discovery Of The Year 2004”. He was also awarded three Lituania prizes: Vilnius Jazz Prize 2006 and Birstonas Jazz Prize 2008. In 2008, he received the Musicians Union Prize “Golden Disc”. L Mockunas’ creative interests are centered on experimental jazz stage and improvised music. He is the co-leader of “Toxikum”, Red Planet, “Traffic quartet”, Baltic trio”, and “Megaphone”, as well as “Mockunas- Ducret Duo”, Mockunas–Hojito Duo, and “Revolver”. He is a member the “Copenhagen Art Ensemble”, “Red Planet”, “Traffic quartet”, “Traffic Quartet”, “Megaphone”, “Saga Quartet”, “Mockunas-Ducret Duo”, “Mockunas – Hojito Duo”, “Mockunas – Ducret Duo”, “Mockunas – Ducret Duo”, “Mockunas – Ducret Duo”, “V.Chekasen”, “New Jungle Orchestra”, Piere Dorge, and his “New Jungle Orchestra” (New Jungle Orchestra), and “New Jungle Orchestra”). He has performed with Swinging Europe’s big band, Andrew Hill and Scott Colley. As a soloist, he performed with Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, a concerto by Arvydas Maltas for soprano and tenor saxophones, and concerto by Arvydas Balcys for chamber music orchestra “Kamerata Baltica”. He also performed a piece composed by Anatolijus Senderovas that was performed by Krylovi Hradec Symphony and Liudas Moockunas. Regularly works with the string quartet “Chordos”. Mockunas has been teaching saxophone at the Lithuanian Music Academy Jazz Department, Vilnius since 2004. Mockunas is a founder of the “Lithuanian Jazz Federation” and also founded the “No Business Records” improvised music label in Lithuania. from http://nobusinessrecords.com
