Kaspars Kurdeko is a drummer, percussionist and composer. He studied jazz at the Amsterdam Music Conservatory. Later, in the Manhattan Music School in New York, he learned percussion and composition studying under such jazz experts as John Riley, Henry Cole, Dave Liebman, Ari Hoening, Theo Bleckmann and Dave Douglas.
Kurdeko founded the jazz quartet DekoMotion, which was acknowledged as best ensemble at the international competition Keep and Eye Jazz Award in 2010 in the Netherlands, and won Best Player at the same competition. He actively participates in various international and local projects, including the Baltic jazz group Tree Stones, and the trio KlusiKlusi. He has performed at festivals and concerts in Latvia, South Korea, France, Germany, and Portugal among others.
The time he spent in the creative environment of New York shaped the musicians' style in which you can find traces of various musical and artistic styles. The drummer is characterised by his ability to play sensitively in an ensemble, and known for his energetic, truthful and meaningful engagement.
Kurdeko composed music for the feature film Kriminālās ekselences fonds (Criminal Excellence Fund) and the music for the modern dance performance Divotne with choreography by Rūta Pūce and Anna Novikova. He has also composed the music for the contemporary ballet one-act performance Tikko which was choreographed by Elza Leimane. Kurdeko is also the author of, and a musician on, the ethno group Bur Mani’s album Tālu Tālu.