Jazzkaar 2008 is proud to present many world-renown artists from around the globe. Read more!
Jazzkaar 2008 has many interesting and talented musicians from around the world. The festival is proud to present the following artists:
Al Di Meola (USA)
One of the top jazz guitar players! A virtuoso whose playing has influenced many others on that instrument. Di Meola’s music, based on Latin traditions, brings together different music from around the world. Year by year his compositions has developed towards concentration and he manages to convey his message with lesser and lesser notes and decibels. The band Al Di Meola plays with at Jazzkaar has a line-up of two guitars, percussions and an accordion.
Gino Vannelli (Canada)
In the 1970’s, Vannelli became famous and successful on the international pop music scene with his hits that combined pop rhythms and intonations of jazz. Later on his inclination towards jazz got stronger and even some hints to classical music appeared. In mid-nineties Vannelli recorded two albums for Verve Records. At Jazzkaar the world-famous singer will be accompanied by the Dutch jazz pianist Bert van der Brink.
Roy Ayers (USA)
Raised from the soul jazz of the 1960’s, the American vibraphone player’s music helped to bring into world the British Acid Jazz of the late 1980’s. Ayers loves when people dance to his well-spirited music, he is funky, he knows how to groove and younger generation of DJ’s love to mix his music with modern dance rhythms. Many of the famous soul musicians and hip-hoppers have admitted Ayers’ influence in their work. He is a modern jazz legend.
Angélique Kidjo (Benin)
One of the most distinctive voices of African music! The West African singer’s current record “Djin Djin” was honored with Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album in 2008. Kidjo fuses Afro-funk, salsa, reggae, gospel, jazz and more with shades of classic American rock, pop and soul. Meet one of the most popular artistes on the current world scene!
Avishai Cohen Trio (Israel)
The Israeli bass player is eagerly awaited back in Tallinn after his trio’s successful concert at Jazzkaar a couple of years ago. His poetic-melodic fusion of Mediterranean sounds, Middle-Eastern rhythms and American jazz is highly impressive. This time the ex-Chick Corea group bassist arrives in Tallinn as Jazz Ambassador of Jazz Appreciation Month 2008.
Leny Andrade & Sambop Band (Brazil)
Probably the Jazz Diva of Brazil. After rising into fame in the 1960’s in her native Rio de Janeiro, Andrade continued to mix samba and bossa with jazz in the next decades. Although she has maintained quite a low profile in Europe, Leny Andrade is well-known in USA. Recently her album “Ay Vivo” won the Latin Grammy.
Dave Douglas Quintet (USA)
The most prominent jazz critics say that Dave Douglas is the best trumpet player and creative musician nowadays. With his group he brings New York’s downtown attitude to Jazzkaar. Strong compositional element and freedom of improvisations, acknowledgment of old jazz traditions plus new fresh ideas of our times – that’s the case with Douglas’ poly-stylistic, multidimensional music.
Tommy Emmanuel (Australia)
A really good guitarist has always something more to his performance than just flashing fingers or fireworks of techniques. Just listen to Tommy Emmanuel play and feel how the multi-stylistic virtuoso is able to capture your attention. Throughout his career Emmanuel has performed with many notable artistes including Chet Atkins, George Martin, Eric Clapton and John Denver.
Stefan Bauer Voyage feat. Michal Cohen (Germany-Israel-India)
German vibraphone player has worked and lived both in Europe and America. He has discovered the vast world of music outside Western civilization. Charming singer of Bauer’s Voyage, Michal Cohen, comes from Israel. Together with Indian percussionist and German bass player they create a vibrant jazz-meets-World-Music sound.
Son de la Frontera (Spain)
The Spanish group is one of the newest World Music stars in Europe, being nominated for BBC World Music Awards 2008. The name means “sound without frontiers” but the centre of their music is flamenco. Also one can hear hints to early music, Arabic culture, Cuba and gypsy heritage.
José Gonzalez (Sweden)
Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter of Argentine descent who won international recognition several years ago. Gonzalez’s music has been used in big companies commercials and TV series. He is a modern day folk singer who is not afraid of club music beats. The concert is arranged in co-operation between Jazzkaar and Jazz’n’Motion.
TH8 (France)
Eight-handed, percussion driven, rhythm oriented – four French musicians-percussionists will make their concert a total show. The multi-instrument music mosaic contains surprising turns, fair amount of humour and a variety of music – from high-brow to grassroots, from loudest noise to the quietest sound.
Dinosau feat. Lena Nymark (Norway)
The group’s name combines sheep and dinosaurs, so don’t expect it to be too serious. Their experimental electro-acoustic pop music is groove-oriented and uses a lot of jazzy improvisations. And the singer Lena Nymark in not just another girl…
The Dynamite Vikings 10 (Denmark-Estonia)
Another birthday concert! Estonian-Swedish-Danish trio played their very first concert at Jazzkaar 1998. They have kept adventurous attitude in their music through all these years, loving to make jolly noise, keeping improvisations short and mixing everything imaginable into their compositions. The result is energetic and explosive, and not without a healthy dose of (Nordic) humour.
Jagúar (Island)
During its ten years of existence, the Icelandic band has explored many aspects of funk as played by Kool & The Gang, James Brown and others. Several of Jagúar’s albums are honored as the best at the annual Music Awards in Iceland.
Mette Juul Trio (Denmark)
The winner of last year’s Nõmme Jazz contest of young jazz vocalists has the chance to perform at several Baltic and Nordic festivals as a part of her prize. At Jazzkaar, the young Danish singer will sing jazz standards and her own songs.
Triade & Mikko Innanen (France-Finland)
Three uncompromising Frenchmen and a young Finnish sax player are in the same virtual space of ideas of sound as an art form. Triade is looking for a balance between improvisation and compositional processes. Together with Innanen they have been on the adventurous journey of discovery for several years now.
This is the best Estonian jazz in the World
As always, the best Estonian jazz musicians play at Jazzkaar. Many of them collaborate with colleagues from neighboring countries.
EDBB 10 feat. Torsten Goods, cond. Örjan Fahlström (Estonia-Ireland-Sweden)
Estonian Dream Big Band played their very first concert exactly ten years ago at Jazzkaar. Now the orchestra represents the very best in Estonian jazz – expert musicians, polished arrangements, energetic sounds. Their birthday concert will feature guest conductor Örjan Fahlström from Swedish Norbotten Big Band. Swinging and bopping vocalist Torsten Groods is a young Irish-German rising star in European jazz. His new album “Irish Heart” by ACT Records has been well-received by international jazz press.
Weekend Guitar Trio feat. Markus Reuter (Estonia-Germany)
The guitar trio celebrates its 15th birthday. WGT is always full of surprises and their music doesn’t fit into common categories. Their electro-acoustic mixture of styles and genres is original. German sound-designer and guitarist Markus Reuter from Tuner joins WGT once again at the Jazzkaar concert. The other group with whom WGT collaborates at Jazzkaar is the Gregorian chant ensemble Vox Clamantis.
Tanel Ruben Quintet feat. Kadri Voorand & Kristjan Randalu (Estonia)
Tanel Ruben has divided his drum playing and other activities between several groups. One of these will come to Jazzkaar’s stage with music from the brand new CD which features Ruben’s own compositions. His band-mates are the top players on the Estonian current jazz scene.
Villu Veski – Tiit Kalluste, Sounds of the Nordic Islands (Estonia)
Third album with the sounds from the Nordic Islands will be presented to the listeners at Jazzkaar. Their trip started ten years ago when sax player Veski and accordionist Kalluste, visited Faroe Islands and fell deeply in love with the beauty of Nordic music. Now their travels sometimes reach to the far away exotic places, though the gravity of the primal Nordic sound is always present.
There is the Siim Aimla Group, Kadri Voorand’s new quartet, Tõnu Naissoo ensemble and Sofia Rubina’s D’Orange with Lithuanian musicians. Sax Player Villu Veski plays with Fulvio Paredes from Argentine. Guitar player Ain Agan duets with Teemu Viinikainen from Finland. Poet-singer Tuuli Taul greets Spring with her friendly band. And there are many others…
The Sunday of Arts and Music 20.04.
The tradition of bringing improvisations to the museums and exhibition halls during Jazzkaar started several years ago. This time Brian Melvin’s East-West Quartet meditates with oriental world-jazz in the Niguliste Church, Tallinn Art Hall witnesses wildly and freely improvising Estonian Guitar Octet, Meelis Vind and Raivo Tafenau play their composed-like structured improvisations in Rotermann’s Salt Storage and the day ends with the presentation concert of Kelli Uustani’s new album.
Jazzkaar Midnight Club
When you find your way to the restaurant Clazz, you are at the right place. Besides the on-spot concert programme, midnight jam sessions are also something to look out for.