Saturday evening cannot be bad if one of the greatest Estonian modern jazz musicians has a concert. So, on April 18th at 19:00 Aleksander Paal Quartet performed at Red House. There were a lot of people in the concert hall but it was still possible to find a free spot with a good view and a clear sound. The audience was excited and for a reason because the Quartet definitely did not disappoint.
The jazz ensemble performed six compositions during one hour. They started their concert with a warming part by a solo saxophone. The nice sound changed the atmosphere inside of the building, making it much warmer.
The band continued with a calm composition where the piano and the saxophone were testing each other. Holger Marjamaa played the piano on the verge of possible. An incredible speed and virtuosity delighted the audience as they applauded loudly.
The next composition “One For the Ladies“ started with a slow piano solo. „Sound of an Arabic Night,“ performed by Aleksander Paal with brass set a mystical mood. The imitated sounds of nature put the public in some kind of a trance. The texture of the melody leaded by saxophone blended in perfectly with other instruments.
In the next song the saxophone slowly started making waves of music. After the piano took initiative, the two instruments together substituted each other again and again.
The song called “All Right But One Last Time“ struck down the public with character, sound, and virtuosity. The bass reached a maximum power, the drums were on the verge of possible and the piano together with the saxophone were getting more passionate and dynamical. Their music told an amazing story to the audience.
After a huge applause, the quartet came back to play an encore. They performed a calm melody with an unbelievable part of the piano and the drums.
The public was impressed by all of the compositions that were played. It was an enjoyable evening full of good music. This is actually not surprising because Aleksander Paal Quartet is not only famous but also the leader and composer of the band Aleksander Paal won a prestigious jazz competition. Surely we will hear more from them in the future.
Aleksander Paal Quartet
Saturday, 18th April at 19:00 at Red House
Aleksander Paal – saxophone
Holger Marjamaa – piano
Heikko Remmel – double bass
Karl-Juhan Laanesaar – drums