The 27th Tallinn international festival Jazzkaar starts on Friday. Jazzkaar takes place in the Telliskivi Creative City and in 13 locations around Estonia. The festival presents 197 artists from 17 countries.
Jazzkaar 2016 is headlined by the guitar legend Al di Meola, world-class saxophone sounds are brought to Tallinn by Chris Potter. One of the favourite vocalists of the American younger generation, José James, will also bring his magic to Tallinn. The Norwegian singer and multiinstrumentalist Bernhoft will ring a Nordic tone.
The most mysterious artist at Jazzkaar is the German pianist Lambert who chooses to hide his own face behind a Sicilian mask. His second album “Stay In The Dark” (2015) was recorded in complete darkness.
Those who appreciate a good live show are sure to enjoy Mark de Clive-Lowe, known across the world as a keyboardist, composer, DJ and producer. His modern band CHURCH will be accompanied by UK neo-soul singer Tawiah.
The cool Estonian spring gets warmed up by the bright star of Cuban jazz – Roberto Fonseca.
A record number of 115 Estonian artists will perform at this year’s Jazzkaar. Maarja Nuut, Kadri Voorand, Janno Trump with Trump Conception and Peedu Kass with Momentum will introduce their new albums. Erki Pärnoja has prepared a limited edition of his EP Himmelbjerget, to be sold exclusively at his concert.
On Sunday, April 24th, Jazzkaar welcomes everybody at the free concerts day starting 8 o’clock in the morning with the traditional bird song excursion. The day will be summed up by Marten Kuningas’s tribute to David Bowie.
Since 2007, Jazzkaar has presented an annual Jazz Award, given to the jazz musician who has stood out with his musical activities during the last three years. On April 29, all previous winners will perform together at the gala concert Jazz Awards 10. This year’s jazz awards will be announced on April 27.
Drawing the festival to a close will be Maria Faust, one of the internationally better known Estonian saxophonists. She will perform with a special project Velocipede, combining music, video and sports. The audience can participate in the concert, pedalling along on the 15 spinning bikes installed in the hall.
Much like jazz itself, Jazzkaar likes to improvise and constantly develop in new directions. Therefore it can not be confined to concert halls and stages. The urban project brings music to public transport, bookshops, cafes and street corners – in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu and Viljandi. As well as several trains!
Jazzkaar 2016 in numbers
• 197 artists, of them 115 Estonian
• 17 countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Hungary, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, USA, Israel, Lebanon, Cuba).
• 80 concerts
• More than 140 activities (urban project, jazz talks, morning yoga, movies etc)
• 250 people involved in organising the festival
• More than 150 volunteers