In March 2026, Vik & Gene Quartet will present their new EP "Mother" to US audiences on the East Coast.
As one reviewer put it, Viktorija "Vik" Gečytė is “the real deal — a singer who makes every word count” (JazzTimes), while Gene Perla remains “a bassist whose sound is orchestral in scope and spirit” (DownBeat).
Their program blends fresh compositions with transformed standards, carried by the unmistakable authority of Gene’s basslines and the luminous lyricism of Vik’s vocals.
It’s a rare chance to experience this collaboration live — a singer who carries the poetic elegance of Lithuanian roots and Parisian lifestyle, backed by a bassist whose life’s work helped define modern jazz.
Join them for an unforgettable evening of nuance, depth, and musical conversation.
Viktorija "Vik" Gečytė - vocals
Gene Perla - double-bass
Jesse Green - piano
Mourad Benhammou - drums
Viktorija "Vik" Gečytė (pronounced get-cheet-é) is one of those rare jazz voices that seem to arrive fully formed — luminous, grounded, and effortlessly expressive. Lithuanian-born and Paris-based, she brings a refined yet authentic presence to every stage and “fills the room with a dusky, easy voice that seems to come from nowhere and go everywhere.”
She grew up in Vilnius surrounded by music — hearing her mother's family sing around the table in three-part harmony while her father played accordion, performing on national television at six, discovering jazz at in her early teens, and later hitchhiking to festivals across Lithuania just to hear the real thing. That hunger for connection and improvisation still defines her sound today: conversational, intimate, and alive.
Reviewers often describe her as “an angel voice” and “a class act,” yet what makes her unforgettable is the balance of poise and spontaneity. She doesn’t decorate melodies — she tells stories. Each phrase breathes, every silence has weight. Her performances create the kind of intimacy where the room seems to lean forward, listening.
For more than fifteen years, Vik has shared a rare musical bond with Gene Perla, the legendary bassist known for his work with Nina Simone, Elvin Jones, and Sonny Rollins. Their collaboration — documented across several albums including In the Moment (Couleurs Jazz: “a major record”) — showcases her storytelling artistry alongside a powerhouse rhythm section that bridges continents and generations. Together, they’ve built a musical language that feels both timeless and startlingly fresh.
She continues to expand her artistic palette: leading a quartet that uses vibraphone as the sole harmonic instrument (Vik & The Vibe Tribe), exploring orchestral and big-band textures, and marrying jazz and poetry in her haunting single Mother, based on texts by avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas.
Viktorija has performed across many countries — including France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, the UK, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Guadeloupe, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and the USA — bringing her singular blend of folk roots, swing grooves, and blues moods wherever she goes.
Onstage, she makes jazz feel personal — the kind of performance that feels like you’ve wandered into a private conversation. As one critic put it after a San Francisco concert: “Never a dull moment.”
Gene Perla is a jazz bassist whose sound combines authority and poetry — deep, orchestral, and instantly recognizable. Critics have praised his playing as “ever-present but never overbearing,” often noting the way he anchors and steers the ensemble with unshakable balance.
Raised in New Jersey, Gene studied classical piano and trombone before choosing bass as his main instrument. After his time at Berklee, he moved to New York, where he quickly became part of the city’s vibrant jazz scene, performing and recording with some of the music’s greatest — Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and many others.
In the 1970s, Gene helped shape the direction of modern jazz not only as a performer but as a producer and entrepreneur. He founded record and publishing companies, co-created the groundbreaking trio Stone Alliance (with Don Alias and Steve Grossman), and toured extensively across South America and Europe, gaining hands-on experience in booking and management.
His creative range has extended to Broadway sound design — where he contributed to the Tony Award-winning City of Angels — as well as to studio engineering, digital media, and education.
Today, Gene remains as active and curious as ever: performing, producing, teaching, and mentoring the next generation through his work at Lehigh University and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. His long-standing collaboration with Viktorija “Vik” Gečytė continues with their new EP Mother, which features two of Gene’s own compositions.
Jesse Green is a pianist, composer, and arranger whose playing weaves lyricism, precision, and introspection. Born into a musical lineage — his father was trombonist Urbie Green — Jesse began piano lessons at six and later explored trombone and jazz in school ensembles. By seventeen, he had already won the National DownBeat Student Award for composition and arrangement.
Over the years, he has built a multifaceted career as a recording artist, accompanist, and studio collaborator. His three albums on Chiaroscuro Records — featuring luminaries such as Phil Woods, Chris Potter, Dave Liebman, Joe Cohn, Gary Burton, Bobby Durham, and Paul Rostock — showcase both his technical mastery and his gift for ensemble interplay. His acclaimed album Sylvan Treasure showcases his ability to balance accessibility and sophistication; reviewers have called it “introspective,” “technically daring,” and “rich in contrast between personal voice and ensemble conversation.”
Equally at home leading his trio or supporting vocalists, Jesse adds a wide palette of harmonic colors — from lyrical touch to percussive drive — to Viktorija “Vik” Gečytė and Gene Perla’s new EP Mother.
Mourad Benhammou is a drummer whose playing combines drive, precision, and creative dynamics. Described by Jazz Magazine as “one of the best drummers today in the fields of bop and hard bop,” he commands the beat with both fire and sensitivity.
Born in Paris to Algerian parents, Mourad discovered jazz at fifteen and taught himself by listening to masters like Elvin Jones and Philly Joe Jones. By the 1990s, he was part of the city’s vibrant jazz scene, performing with René Urtreger, François Chassagnite, and later Sunny Murray, whose influence expanded his rhythmic vocabulary.
He has collaborated with leading voices on both sides of the Atlantic — Barry Harris, Frank Morgan, James Spaulding, Joe Cohn, David Murray, Steve Potts, Alain Jean-Marie, Champion Fulton and Raphaël Imbert — performing across Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Founder of the Interplanetary Music Orchestra, his hard-bop ensemble Jazzworkers, and most recently His Soulful Drums quintet, Mourad is celebrated for his “implacable efficiency” and “strongly original sound.”
In recent years, he has been a key collaborator of Viktorija Gečytė and Gene Perla, performing and recording with them internationally and serving as the rhythmic core of Vik’s Paris-based quartet, Vik & The Vibe Tribe.
