Once again, Jazzkaar and Punane Maja hosted a brilliant concert that featured Raul Vaigla Quartet in collaboration with the singer Marie Vaigla. Hopefully, the audience will remember this concert as one of the most suggestive and touching musical experiences they have had for a while.
Raul Vaigla is one of the most famous Estonian bass-guitar players. His versatile style is well known from many rock, pop, and jazz collectives like Ultima Thule, Radar, V.S.P Projekt, Dagö, Urmas Lattikas quintet, Sooäär-Vaigla-Ruben trio and so forth. His quartet is composed by Siim Aimla (saxophone), Madis Muul (keyboard) and Caspar Salo (drums).
The overture of the concert was displayed by Vaigla together with his young talented daughter Marie. They performed a duo, where the guitar and the voice communicated together creating an idyllic atmosphere. The guitarist could increase the pitches as he was playing a guitar without pallet. The singer could release bright intonations as she was using particular vocal techniques similar to scat, belting and whistle register which she could extend her voice using syllables, vocalisms and whispers. She also used a looper, in order to generate more particular effects.
During the concert, the quartet performed some of the tracks from the new album Heights. A few technical problems in the beginning did not interrupt the musicians who showcased their skills. The audience was especially entertained by the lively vibes of the saxophone. However, the concert could be perceived on two levels: one when the quartet was performing, the other when Marie attended. The gig had some funky traces, it was dynamic and vibrant. The particular voice of the young girl gave a rather suspended atmosphere to the concert.
The highlight was certainly when they did a cover of Riders On The Storm, taken from The Doors’ repertoire. The result was so high and contemplative in a way, as the voice was gently surrounding the whole environment with bright intonations. All the instruments created a continuous crescendo: the deep sounds made by bass and drums were gradually following the sharpest ones made by the saxophone and the piano, and vice versa. In this way, the tunes could evoke the unlimited horizons you can see from the heights of the mountains, as the title of the album itself can suggests, or the deepest abyss at the same time.
Even the stage lighting was accurate in order to create deep feelings. There was a particular moment where Marie, dressed in a long black dress, was illuminated from the top and she looked up to the ceiling showing only her profile.
Hopefully, the audience will remember this concert as one of the most suggestive and touching musical experiences they have had for a while.
Raul Vaigla Quartet feat. Marie Vaigla
Punane Maja, Telliskivi Loomelinnak, Tallinn
Saturday 18th of April 2015
Raul Vaigla (bass, guitar)
Siim Aimla (saxophone)
Madis Muul (keyboard)
Caspar Salo (drums)
Marie Vaigla (voice)