Tallinn International Festival Jazzkaar, held in Tallinn from 25 April to 2 May this year, took place for the 37th time. The festival featured several album presentations, sold-out concerts, new works by Estonian jazz composers, and the latest trends in global jazz. Jazzkaar has not seen attendance this high since 2020.
This year’s festival offered a firework display of emotions and a strong feminine energy. “Jazzkaar got off to a powerful start with the Estonian premiere of Mingo Rajandi’s feminist new work Lady Sapiens, and four of the five jazz awards were won by women – Maria Faust, Mingo Rajandi, Rahel Talts and Ivi Rausi-Haavasalu,” said Jazzkaar’s founder and artistic director Anne Erm.
Jazzkaar 2026 took place from 25 April to 2 May at Von Krahl and Fotografiska Tallinn in Telliskivi Creative City, and at Alexela Concert Hall. The festival brought music lovers more than 150 events, including 49 concerts in the main programme. Visitors could also enjoy a day of free concerts, talks, masterclasses, and urban space project activities in Tallinn, Pärnu, Tartu, Viljandi, and – for the first time – Rakvere and Helsinki. This year, festival artists also performed for audiences in Otepää, Tartu, Rakvere, and Põlva. In total, the festival attracted more than 26,800 visits, including 11,000 ticketed attendees.
The festival featured eight sold-out concerts: Villu Veski & Katrina Petersen’s Nordic Ballads (Estonia–Denmark), Kennedy Administration (USA), Joel Remmel Trio 15! feat. Hans Christian Aavik & Aleksandra Kremenetski, Mica Millar (UK), Sol y Sombra Quartet, and three home concerts – Marianne Leibur & Janno Trump, Rahel & Marek Talts, and Marten Kuningas.
This year, Jazzkaar welcomed an exceptionally large number of jazz industry delegates – more than 40 guests in total. Major jazz publications such as All About Jazz, Jazzwise, Jazz’n’More and Jazzthetik were represented, alongside editors from the public broadcasters of Finland, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.
The 37th Jazzkaar was full of memorable moments. With the support of Viru Keskus, the festival team’s dream artist, Jordan Rakei, performed in Estonia for the first time, showcasing his finely crafted songwriting talent at Alexela Concert Hall and winning the audience’s hearts with an intimate and sincere closing song. Rising European jazz stars, the Moses Yoofee Trio proved themselves to be major role models for young Estonian musicians, giving a masterclass to a large group of music students. That evening, the band shifted into high gear, demonstrating both their talent and their skilful ensemble playing on stage. At Fotografiska, Donny McCaslin, the saxophonist from David Bowie’s final band, joined Marten Kuningas and Miljardid on stage for Bowie’s Let’s Dance, delivering a powerful saxophone solo. The festival was brought to a close by the wildly energetic Lexsoul Dancemachine, while beloved singer Anne Veski appeared on the Jazzkaar stage for the first time. In addition, representatives of the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Finnish jazz unions came together for the first time in a panel discussion to exchange experiences and strengthen jazz relations.
Jazzkaar 2026 in numbers:
– 49 main programme concerts, including 3 home concerts, 5 concerts outside Tallinn, and 12 concerts as part of the Free Concerts Day;
– 99 Jazz in the City concerts featuring more than 193 young musicians. Jazz in the City also reached Rakvere and, for the first time, crossed Estonia’s borders to Helsinki;
– 15 Free Concerts Day events, including 12 concerts, a record fair, a listening club, and a pop-up choir;
– more than 150 music events across Estonia in total;
– more than 26,800 concert visits in total;
– 11,000 ticketed visits;
– more than 11,000 Jazz in the City visits;
– more than 2,600 Free Concerts Day visits;
– 389 musicians from 15 countries performed;
– 5 Klassikaraadio broadcasts and recordings: Mingo Rajandi’s Lady Sapiens, Antonio Lizana Quintet, Villu Veski’s Nordic Ballads feat. Katrina Petersen, Joel Remmel Trio 15! feat. Hans Christian Aavik & Aleksandra Kremenetski, and Miles Davis 100 by Jason Hunter Sextet;
– 4 album launches: ITIRA’s New Chapter, Johannes Laas’s Passenger Seat, Kadri Voorand in Duo with Mihkel Mälgand’s Songs to Hold You, and Erki Pärnoja’s Himmelbjerget 10;
– 9 new programmes and projects created especially for Jazzkaar: Naissoo Freeform Quintet tribute to U2; Mingo Rajandi’s Lady Sapiens; Kadri Voorand & Mihkel Mälgand’s Songs to Hold You feat. Puuluup; Joel Remmel Trio 15! feat. Hans Christian Aavik & Aleksandra Kremenetski; Marten Kuningas & Miljardid. Anton Corbijn; Kirke Karja’s Odyssey feat. Annabel Soode & Raw Fish; family concert: Sven Grünberg / Lotte, Naksitrallid and others; Anne Veski & Lexsoul Dancemachine;
– 120 volunteers helped organise the festival;
– more than 40 international delegates attended, including foreign journalists, festival organisers and jazz club leaders;
– 13 volunteer photographers from Jazzkaar’s media team took nearly 2,700 photos of the festival;
– 14 volunteer reporters from Jazzkaar’s media team wrote 52 articles and interviews about the festival, which can be read here;
– Jura coffee machines prepared 1,709 different drinks during the festival;
– festival artists and team members consumed 65 kilos of freshly salted cucumbers backstage over the course of the week.
A GALLERY OF HIGHLIGHTS FROM JAZZKAAR 2026 CAN BE FOUND HERE.
Follow Jazzkaar news on the festival website, Facebook and Instagram.
The festival’s main sponsors are JURA, Jazz Pesulad and Delfi Kultuur. Annual supporters are United Motors, Nordic Hotel Forum and Tallink. Jordan Rakei’s concert was brought to Estonia with the support of Viru Keskus, and Kennedy Administration’s concert was presented by Seesam Insurance. The festival hub is supported by Telliskivi Creative City, Prike and Fotografiska Tallinn. The festival is also supported by Reval Café, Aren, Aktaprint, RGB Baltic, the Estonian Authors’ Society, Piletikeskus, the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Tallinn UNESCO City of Music, and the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency. Artists from their respective countries were supported by the Austrian Embassy, the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Embassy of Spain.