Maybe you are, too. Or maybe you enjoy winter's quiet solitude—heavy blankets of snow insulating your thoughts, calming your mind.
Either way, Eesti Elu has compiled a playlist of funky, jazzy, summery tracks featuring established and upcoming Estonian artists. Sit back, relax, and read on to learn a little more about them while you listen to their work, available on Spotify.
- Misha Panfilov
Hailing from Tallinn is Misha Panfilov, a talented and well-established multiinstrumentalist who composes and produces unique mixtures of psychedelic jazz, funk, and “library music.” If you are going to listen to one of his records (and he has many), make it his 2020 release, Days as Echoes—the title of which seems to be a nod to the feeling it's meant to evoke. Listening to Panfilov’s repetitive patterns layered on top of uplifting, soft, and cheery melodies is as if your oldest, most fond memories play on repeat, drifting you into a feeling of comfort and relaxation.
- Tõnu Naissoo
Tõnu Naissoo, the son of the renowned Estonian composer Uno Naissoo, pursued a similar path after achieving success and widespread recognition as a composer and jazz pianist. Although each of his releases are equally rich in emotional depth and warmth, I recommend his 2023 album, Shapes and Colours. “Backed up by the in-house studio group of Aleksi Heinola on drums, Teemu Åkerblom on acoustic and electric bass, and Markus Holkko on reeds and flute, this collaborative effort resulted in a unique blend of pre-composed material and spontaneous compositions, capturing the joyous energy of the season,” writes the album's label Jazzaggression Records. “With the dynamic soundscape of the late 70's/early 80's era, ‘Shapes and Colours' is a testament to the vitality of library/mood music with a touch of jazz and funk.”
- Maryn E. Coote
Maryn E. Coote is the alias of Estonia's prolific jazz, funk, and soul artist, Marju Kuut. Billy Bugara phrases it best in his article “Maryn E. Coote's ‘Maskeraad' is Timeless Lo-Fi Funk from the “Queen of Estonian Jazz” for Bandcamp: “Her absolute best work is chronicled on Maskeraad—a 2017 compilation of her best work throughout the '70s with the help of Uku [Kuut]. Shrouded in a blanket of lo-fi tones and heavy effects, these tracks are just as appealing from a structural standpoint to any admirer of '70s funk and soul as they are intriguing to any lover of experimental production.”
- Kenors
Kenors is a band comprised of eight talented Estonian musicians: Kristjan Tenso (vocals and congas), Marta-Lotta Kukk (vocals and percussion), Maria Kallastu (vocals and keyboards), Karl Tammaru (bass guitar), Kaarel Raud (keyboards), Mattis Kirsipuu (drums), Artur Leppik (saxophone), and Kaur Einasto (guitar). Since its formation in 2018, the group has released two albums and six singles/EPs. Across each of these projects, Kenors' sound is next-level. They definitely lean more into experimentalism than classical compositions, borrowing sounds from around the world and layering them in ways inspired by early house music. The result: unpredictable, spontaneous soundscapes that keep you on your toes.
- Velly Joonas
Though she is talented in many creative fields, Velly Joonas is perhaps best known for her success as a musician—first as a pop and rock artist, then moving into folk in the 1980s, where she “sang her own lyrics and well-known texts by Estonian poets,” according to the Toronto-based music label Invisible City Editions.
Regarding Joonas' soulful, groovy, and warm single “Stopp, seisku aeg!/Käes on aeg,” they write: “‘Stopp, seisku aeg!‘ (‘Stop! Stall the Time!’) is an arrangement of Frida's song ‘I See Red' to which Velly Joonas wrote the Estonian lyrics… ‘Käes on aeg' (‘It Is Time’) is a beautiful Estonian cover of the well-known song ‘Feel Like Makin Love,' which was recorded in an hour. The song is performed with the band Pirita where Joonas sang for a while. The band was led by the keyboard player Tiit Saluveer and, according to Velly Joonas, the group also included Paul Mägi, Riho Lilje, Tiit Juurikas, etc.”
Check out these artists and other compilations on Eesti Elu’s Spotify account!
This article was written by Natalie Jenkins as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.
