There are just some days left until the start of this year’s Jazzkaar Festival – which was recently granted a prize of The Best Music Festival In Estonia on Estonian Music Industry Awards. And with the days getting warmer, the nights getting shorter and April 17th getting closer, the streets of Tallinn are bubbling with anticipation! With available tickets dwindling and excitement on the rise, this year’s festival is sure to bring the city of Tallinn to life with an excellent line-up of jazz and world musicians. Spring in Tallinn marks the promise of sunny days and fantastic music at this year’s new festival centre, Telliskivi Loomelinnak.
With available tickets dwindling and excitement on the rise, this year’s festival is sure to bring the city of Tallinn to life with an excellent line-up of jazz and world musicians. As the local karulauk herbs pop out of the revitalized grassy grounds and the temperature inches itself away from the zero line, spring in Tallinn marks the promise of sunny days and fantastic music at this year’s venue, Telliskivi Loomelinnak.
Announcing, once again, our headlining artists, Jazzkaar is proud to present beloved R&B legend Gregory Porter along with fellow American jazz superstars such as guitar genius Jon Scofield and sax-master David Sanborn. Grammy award winning harmonica player Gregoire Maret, skilled Canadian multi-instrumentalist Owen Pallett, and grungy Georgia-born country singing sisters Larkin Poe will also be gracing the stage during this edition of Jazzkaar, the latter’s performance being a tribute to Telliskivi Creative City’s ninth birthday. Adding to the mix of musicians come the rich flavors of Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf’s sultry Arabian-inspired tunes as well as Ester Rada’s Israeli-Ethiopian fusion of funk and soul. Swiss-Albanian vocalist and musical storyteller Elina Duni will be demonstrating her bluesy Balkan folklore through song, and we are especially honored to present French psychedelic rock legends MAGMA. Adding to all of these fantastic acts is German pianist Hauschka’s trailblazing technique, award winning Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick’s modern Nordic melodies, and Denmark’s glamorous jazz diva Cæcilie Norby’s explosive stage presence; all of which should not be missed this spring.
Alongside these international jazz wonders, Jazzkaar 2015 will feature the best musicians Estonia has to offer such as Kadri Voorand whose bebop style and soulful voice make her unique vocal techniques unmatchable. Furthermore, Aleksander Paal Quartet’s talented ensemble, including the renowned saxophonist alongside talented pianist Holger Marjamaa, is also among the many talented local bred performers this year. In addition to local jazz veterans, this year’s line-up will feature shows that raise the bar in terms of creativity and musical ingenuity. Improvisational jazz trio, Carrot Lights, incorporates pop, jazz and improvised rhythms in a unique fusion of sounds. Other groundbreaking artists include Abraham’s Café, whose mystical world-music inspired tunes create an enchanting effect, and Oleg Pissarenko Band, who are otherwise known as the creators of philosophical post rock.
With a star-studded list of concerts, it is important not to overlook some of the exciting and distinctive performances organized especially for this year’s edition of Jazzkaar. The ensemble of excellent instrumentalists the Estonian Dream Big Band will perform a musical pairing of classical melodies and Estonian poetry in the performance Estonian Dream Big Band & Poets on the 18th of April. Other highlights include the Kitchen Concerts by talented Finnish musician Tatu Rönkkö, who is also the drummer in the bands Elifantree and Efterklang. A group of gracious Tallinn residents and jazz lovers will welcome the drummer and fellow music fans into their homes, where Tatu will be perform using improvised instruments, his only tools being the contents of an average everyday kitchen. Continuing in the spirit of fusing different forms of art together, Telliskivi Loomelinnak will be featuring photography exhibitions throughout the festival as well.
Adding even more to the range of arts performed this year, Jazzkaar will be featuring a variety of unique dance events. Estonian vocalist Ingrid Lukas in collaboration with Estonian choreographer Rene Köster’s group Twisted Dance Company will convey the soul of her music through interpretive dance in “Ingrid Lukas Meets Dance”. Another performance that uses the art of dance to amplify an acoustic message is Jussi Olavi Saivo and Erik Alalooga’s contemporary performance “Unehalvatus” & “Noise or Not”, where self-made instruments and improvised music make a statement about space and auditory narrative. Furthermore, be sure to make time for Külli Roosna and Kenneth Flak’s performance “Blood Magic” where talented dancer Külli and skilled sound artists Kenneth perform a dance meets music duet portraying the dynamic connection between movement and music.
Jazzkaar will not be contained; in addition to dominating the Telliskivi center, the Urban Jazz Project will host surprise concerts and shows across town. In addition to urban outdoor venues, Sunday the 19th of April will host a fee-free line-up of unique artists and performances. Expect the unexpected, as this spring Jazzkaar will make sure that music and art can be seen and heard by anyone.
We look forward to seeing you all this year!