Among the festival\u2019s star performers from 15 different countries are also Grammy-winning legendary jazz guitarist Bill Frisell<\/b> from the United States, and saxophonist Donny McCaslin<\/b>, one of the architects behind the soundscape of David Bowie<\/b>\u2019s final album \u201cBlackstar\u201d. Representing fresh and exciting European jazz is Germany\u2019s Moses Yoofee Trio, which blends elements of soul and hip hop into its sound.<\/p>\n
Jazzkaar\u2019s artistic director Anne Erm<\/b> notes that the festival will also honour the centenary of composer and trumpeter Miles Davis<\/b>. \u201cDavis has influenced jazz as a musical genre more than anyone else in the world,\u201d Erm says. Two concerts dedicated to Davis will take place on 27 April in Otep\u00e4\u00e4, and on 1 May in Tallinn, featuring the sextet of Los Angeles-born but now Estonia-based Jason Hunter<\/b>, which also includes Finnish drummer Jussi Lehtonen<\/b>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n A concert of particular interest from a Finnish perspective will take place on 30 April, when Bianca Rantala<\/b>, named Estonia\u2019s Jazz Composer of the Year, will conduct the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, joined by soloist Valter Soosalu<\/b> performing on the rare harpejji<\/i> string instrument. The ensemble will perform \u201cGigli Marathon\u201d, a work composed by Rantala specifically for them, which is believed to be the world\u2019s first big band composition written for the harpejji<\/i>.<\/p>\n This year, Jazzkaar\u2019s programme expands beyond jazz to include flamenco, bossa nova, tango, retro-inspired performances and, through Moses Yoofee<\/b>, even hip hop. The blending of musical styles is further illustrated by concerts featuring Estonian composer-singer Kadri Voorand<\/b> along with the jouhikko<\/i> duo Puuluup, as well as Estonia\u2019s pop icon Anne Veski<\/b> and funk band Lexsoul Dancemachine, who will perform on 2 May at the birthday celebrations of the Telliskivi Creative City.<\/p>\n On the festival\u2019s second day, Sunday 26 April, audiences can enjoy 16 free concerts across Telliskivi. Throughout the festival, smaller performances, lunchtime concerts and musical surprises can also be encountered at Tallinn Airport, in the restaurant area of Viru Centre, in the caf\u00e9 of P\u00e4rnu Hospital, on the Tallink Megastar ferry, and in many other locations.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/balticguide.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/UMO_Rantala-Soosalu-1024x1024.jpg\")
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