Estrada Orchestra

“A psychedelic jazz monster from stone cold Estonia” – Frank Raines, Funk Night Recs

Forerunners of underground Estonian jazz-funk since 2013, Estrada Orchestra is a 5-piece based in Tallinn. Loosely defined genre borders situate the group of master improvisers into equal parts psychedelic groove and avant-garde. Although names like Herbie Hancock and Mulatu Astatke pop into mind, the list of kindred spirits of Estrada is far and beyond to find.

Established producer and bass player Misha Panfilov brings his expertise in film music, deep funk and Eastern Bloc obscurities while Volodja Brodsky smooths things out with fusion influences behind the Clavinet and Rhodes. Both composers are equally obsessed with all that’s jazz. Flutist Ilja Gussarov, the vocalist and shaman of the bunch, orchestrates the crowd into a tribe with a vibe that shines in live shows. Sashko Petrov on tenor sax and percussion adds the slick soul of a vagabonder to the recipe. Madis Katkosilt provides a solid backbone with heavy beats and just the right amount of crunch on the drums.

“‘Jazzbeatjäätis’ really reminds me of Hancock’s ‘Mwandashi’ or ‘Sextant’ era with Bennie Maupin.” – Alain Mion, Cortex

After the self-titled début album flew off the shelves in 2015, Estrada Orchestra released their 2nd LP “Jazzbeatjäätis” in 2017 via the French imprint Stereophonk and 3rd LP “Vaba” in 2018 via Detroit’s Funk Night Records. Free psychedelic jazz shines in this LP as the name suggest. Just 5 excellent musicians in a smoky basement, doing what they do best. 2019 saw Estrada Orchestra release “Zucker Tanzklub”, which leads them towards the worlds of psychedelic and krautrock.

Having gigged at Elbjazz in Germany, at Positivus in Latvia and other numerous festivals in Estonia, the jazz groove act is ready to take on international stages with support from the likes of Shawn Lee, Greg Foat and Alain Mion.