Live From Tallinn: Eggvn, Oranssi Pazuzu & The Tallinn Ensemble For New Music

by Martin Longley
April 30, 2025

Eggvn Kino Maja April 19, 2025 Just on the perimeter of the Estonian capital's mystical Old Town, your scribe chanced upon the Tallinn Industrial Festival, a long evening that offered one of its most curious acts right at the beginning. Fortunate not to be missed, as an early arrival ...

Jazzkaar Festival 2025

by Nenad Georgievski
May 15, 2025

Jazzkaar Von Krahl/Fotografiska Tallinn, Estonia April 20-April 26, 2025 When arriving in Tallinn, Estonia, the city reveals its quiet, timeless beauty--a place where medieval charm and modern energy coexist. It is a city where old-world atmosphere meets cutting-edge innovation, recognized as one of the most tech-savvy capitals in Europe. Despite its ...

Jazzkaar Interviews: Kristjan Randalu

by Martin Longley
April 16, 2025

The Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu gave one of the best performances at the 2021 Jazzkaar festival in Tallinn. It was the premiere of a work-sequence for the New Wind Orchestra, and it blew the audience on a wayward journey. Once again, Randalu will be delivering a premiere piece for Jazzkaar, opening up this year's 36th edition ...

Rahel Talts

Rahel Talts is a younger generation rising jazz pianist and composer from Estonia. In her music, she likes to mix jazz with elements from folk, pop and fusion, using sweet melodies, interesting rhythmic layers and switching between acoustic piano and electric keyboard sound. Rahel plays in many different bands and projects over Europe, either as a leader or a sidewoman.

Anett Tamm: a unique voice from the Baltics

by Anthony Shaw
December 28, 2024

Despite her relative youth, Anett Tamm is not a new voice in her mother country, Estonia, and neither among jazz followers in Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Greece, Finland and more. However this is a relatively select crowd, probably numbering in the hundreds, and with her taste in music veering wide of the mainstream, Anett Tamm is not ...

Jazzkaar 2024

by Martin Longley
August 7, 2024

Jazzkaar Telliskivi Creative City Tallinn, Estonia April 21-28, 2024 Customarily, the almost-always April placement of the Jazzkaar festival is accompanied by a goodly beaming of spring-flavored sunshine, perhaps infected by the odd murky downpour, but soon drying off its feathers. Instead, during 2024's 35th edition, Tallinn's wondrous eight-dayer ...

Jazzkaar Interviews: Mingo Rajandi

by Martin Longley
March 23, 2024

The Estonian composer and acoustic bassist Mingo Rajandi has created a body of work that includes jazz, free improvisation, moderne art music and scores for theatrical productions. She moved to Brussels nearly four years ago, but still retains resilient links to her old Tallinn scene, with its regular roster of musicians who arrive from varied stylistic ...

Jazzkaar 2023

by Martin Longley
June 10, 2023

Jazzkaar Tallinn, Estonia April 23-30, 2023 Jazzkaar has now lost two days, this exceptional Estonian festival running at eight rather than ten, but still remaining epic when compared to most others. The opening Sunday might have only featured a single concert, but as the fresh week progressed, the scale incrementally increased, hitting ...

Jazzkaar Interviews: Kirke Karja

by Martin Longley
April 21, 2023

Estonian pianist Kirke Karja has regularly appeared at the Jazzkaar festival in Tallinn, customarily performing in surprising settings, always delivering a fresh band combination, or a new set of music, or altering ratios between improvisation and composition, acoustic or electric palettes. During the last two years she has a.) been discovered by the rest of the ...

Tallinn Music Week Interviews: Roomet Jakapi & Hum Of Tartu

by Martin Longley
May 6, 2022

The Estonian city of Tartu lies to the south-east of capital Tallinn, and is a relatively small second city, perhaps dominated by the presence of its renowned university. In 2024, Tartu is set to become a European Capital Of Culture. In anticipation, the Tallinn Music Week organisers have programmed an evening of music emanating from Tartu, ...