Jazzkaar to begin with the day of free concerts and premiere of Ode to the Forest - Festival Jazzkaar

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23/04/2022 Jazzkaar to begin with the day of free concerts and premiere of Ode to the Forest

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The 33rd International Festival Jazzkaar in Tallinn will begin on Sunday, 24 April. The festival welcomes musicians from 14 countries and features a programme of more than 140 events as part of its main programme, the urban project, jazz talks, home concerts and day of free concerts.

“Jazzkaar always has new and exciting things to offer, but some events have already proven to be a great success. One such long tradition is the day of free concerts on the opening weekend of the festival, where, alongside well-known artists, the audience can enjoy music from young talents often presenting their first albums or new tunes at half an hour concerts. You are welcome with your whole family and we recommend listening to more than one consecutive concerts. Before leaving, you are also invited pop by the record market where you can find a wide selection of new music, but also timeless jazz classics.

While the day of free concerts will take place for the 19th time, the festival has only recently started to commission new works in the size of an entire concert. This time, Joel Remmel and Peedu Kass will present their new work, Ode to the Forest, expressing their joy, but also sadness about the beauty and pains of our forests,” Anne Erm, artistic director of Jazzkaar introduces this year’s festival.

At the opening concert of the festival, pianist Joel Remmel and double bass player Peedu Kass will present their new joint work, Ode to the Forest, dedicated to the Estonian forest, its power and the need to protect it. According to the composers themselves, it is both a song of praise to nature and a sharply critical blues for felling sites. Listeners can hear the song of a chaffinch, pine trees breaking in the storm or under the saw and have a sense of the eternal emptiness and beauty of vast bog plains. The composers will be joined on stage by a jazz ensemble, string players and Bert On Beats on electronics.

The opening day of the festival, 24 April will start with free concerts filled with music, yoga and art at Vaba Lava, Fotografiska Tallinn, Velvet and Club of Different Rooms. The evening will end at Philly Joe’s jazz club. Mihkel Mälgand will play background music for the morning yoga session, while Fotografiska Tallinn will host the concerts of singer Liisi Koikson and Rubund. Singer and guitarist Jaan-Eerik Aardam and the charming Raili Lilleorg with her ensemble will both present their short albums in the premises of the design agency Velvet. The Club of Different Rooms (Erinevate Tubade Klubi) will host the concert of Bianca Rantala Trio, followed by guitarist and composer Jaak Sooäär’s presentation of his new compilation of sheet music, Lood ja laulud in celebration of his 50th birthday. The evening will end with fresh music by student bands of the Georg Ots Music School at Philly Joe’s Jazz Club on Freedom Square.

We are pleased to welcome at this year’s Jazzkaar many artists who have been eagerly awaited in Estonia. This year’s headliners are both winners of the Grammy Awards: the American jazz diva Dee Dee Bridgewater, performing with the Estonian Dream Big Band, and the legendary saxophonist Kenny Garrett presenting his fresh studio album, Sounds From The Ancestors. Jazzkaar is also happy to welcome the phenomenal Swedish band Dirty Loops and the French singer Cyrille Aimée, who has risen among the stars of vocal jazz. It is a pleasure to host the American jazz and soul star China Moses, the Brazilian mandolin star Hamilton de Holanda, the Israeli trumpeter Avishai Cohen and the contemporary British minimalist composer-pianist Neil Cowley at the festival. In co-operation with Tallinn and Katowice, the UNESCO Cities of Music, and the Katowice JazzArt Festival, the ECM artist Maciej Obara with his Maciej Obara Quartet and the border-expanding free jazz ensemble trio_io will perform in Estonia for the first time.

Guitarist Jaak Sooäär will celebrate his 50th birthday at Jazzkaar with a concert of Eesti Keeled, joined by soloists Riho Sibul and Vaiko Eplik. Mingo Rajandi and Eva Koldits will present their new production, the passion Beastesses. Valter Soosalu will introduce his new music for harpejji and ensemble; Siim Aimla Funk Band with Alika Milova, Eleryn Tiit and Silver Laas will revive timeless funk hits; Kalle Pilli Quintet will perform music from their debut album, Lantau; Marten Kuningas and his band will pay homage to the pop legend David Bowie with their programme, Bowie 75; Frankie Animal will present their new album, and Cätlin Mägi will weave Jew’s harps and electronics into an exciting fabric of sound. Kadri Voorand will take the audience on a special musical journey, while Neon Fir and Alfa Collective will add youthful passion to the festival. Siiri Sisask & Kristjan Randalu Lingua mea, Maria Faust Jazz Catastrophe, Tafenau & Vind Duo feat. Ricardo Padilla and Jazz Musician of the Year 2021, Holger Marjamaa with Heikko Remmel & Lee Pearson are evidence of Estonian artists’ successful international collaborations. Young music lovers are invited to take part in a special family concert, Party in the Animal Kingdom, where actress-singer Saara Pius will perform well-known children’s songs in the style of jazz, accompanied by a band.

For the eighth time already, Jazzkaar will take place in the inspiring Telliskivi Creative City. The concerts of the festival will also reach the audiences in Tartu, Viljandi, Rakvere, Kuressaare and Haapsalu.

The 33rd Tallinn International Jazzkaar Festival will take place from  24 April to 1 May 2022 in different places in Estonia. Tickets are available at Piletilevi sales points and online at www.piletilevi.ee. See you at Jazzkaar!

Keep an eye on Jazzkaar’s activities on our website, Facebook and Instagram.

The main sponsors of the festival are JURA, Jazz Pesulad and Eesti Päevaleht. Annual sponsors are BMW Inchcape, Nordic Hotel, Tallink and Aktaprint. The concert of the legendary jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater will be presented by Viru Keskus. Telliskivi Creative City, Prike and Fotografiska Tallinn help set up the festival hub. We are also supported by Reval Café, Overall, MyFitness, Kodupaber, Seesam Kindlustus, Glamping Estonia and Estonian Public Broadcasting. The Embassy of Israel in Finland, Embassy of Brazil and Embassy of Sweden help us bring the musicians of their countries to Estonia. We would like to thank the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Tallinn, the UNESCO City of Music and Enterprise Estonia for their support.

Main programme of Jazzkaar 2022:
Alfa Collective / Avishai Cohen, Big Vicious (Israel) / China Moses (USA) / Cätlin Mägi, Looping Jew’s Harp Orchestra / Cyrille Aimée (France) / DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER (USA) & Estonian Dream Big Band / Dirty Loops (Sweden) / Frankie Animal / Hamilton de Holanda Jobim Trio (Brazil) / Holger Marjamaa, Heikko Remmel & Lee Pearson (Estonia–USA) / Eesti Keeled feat. Riho Sibul & Vaiko Eplik, Jaak Sooäär 50 / Joel Remmel & Peedu Kass Ensemble Ode to the Forest / Kadri Voorand, Kontsertlesila / Kalle Pilli Quintet, Lantau / Maarja Nuut & Nicholas  Stocker (Estonia–Switzerland) / Maria Faust Jazz Catastrophe (Estonia–Denmark) / Maciej Obara Quartet (Poland–Norway–Sweden) / Marten Kuningas, Bowie 75 / Neil Cowley (UK) / Neon Fir / Rajandi & Koldits, Beastesses / Saara Pius & Band, Party in the Animal Kingdom / Siim Aimla Funk Band feat. Alika Milova, Eleryn Tiit and Silver Laas, Respect the Funk / Siiri Sisask & Kristjan Randalu, Lingua mea (Estonia–Germany–Greece–Luxembourg/USA) / Tafenau & Vind Duo feat. Ricardo Padilla (Estonia–Chile) / THE KENNY GARRETT and Sounds From The Ancestors (USA) / trio_io (Poland) / Valter’s Harpejji Band