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Jaak Sooäär

Jaak Sooäär (b. 1972) was born in Tallinn, Estonia. In 1994, he graduated from the Music College in Tallinn and, in 2001, from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. Since 2001, he has taught guitar at the Jazz Music Department of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and, since 2004, acted as the head of the department.

Sooäär’s first concerts (all over the Soviet Union) took place as a member of the Estonian Boys’ Choir in which he started singing at the age of seven. Since 1989, he has been active on the Estonian jazz and pop scene, playing guitar literally with everybody of note.

Since the late 1990s, Sooäär has performed with many internationally known jazz musicians, including Ray Anderson, Conny Bauer, Han Bennink, Raoul Björkenheim, Eric Brochard, Gavin Bryars, Kent Carter, Will Calhoun, Pierre Dørge, Anders Jormin, Dave Kikoski, Alexey Kruglov, Joelle Léandre, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Ramon Lopez, Ron McClure, Karlheinz Miklin, Liudas Mockunas, John Schröder, Harri Sjöström and Petras Vyshniauskas, and has been active in several international bands, including The Dynamite Vikings, Erdmann/Sooäär Dessert Time (1st prize at international Peer Gynt Improvisation Contest in Pärnu, Estonia, in 2001), Mockunas-Pasborg Project and Almost Zebra (3rd place at the 5th European Improvisation Tournament in Poitiers, France, in 2001). In May 2006 Sooäär performed as guest soloist with WDR Big Band (Germany).

In 1999, Sooäär toured with The European Jazz Youth Orchestra and, in 2003, took part in the EBU Big Band in Istanbul, Turkey. One of his Estonian groups,Eesti Keeled, was given the Estonian Music Award as the best etno/folk artist both in 2003 and in 2005. In 2007 Sooäär was the first jazz musician to get Estonian Annual Jazz Prize and the same year he also recieved annual prize of Estonian Culture Endownment (Eesti Kultuurkapital). Jaak Sooäär appears on around 20 jazz CD-s.

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8
Album Review

Sooäär, Yaralyan, Ounaskari: Zula

Read "Zula" reviewed by Ian Patterson


A group sound is a precious thing. It may take years to develop, or it might spring, fully fledged, from the offing. Either way, it is a calling card and a brand. Tinkering with it too much might risk alienating loyal fans. The trio of Estonian guitarist Jaak Sooäär, Finnish drummer Markku Ounaskari and Armenian bassist Ara Yaralyan seems to subscribe to the 'no tinkering' credo. Its third album, Zula is cut from the same cloth as Shooting Star (o-tone ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Our Final Random List Of New Releases From 2023 Including David Binney, Jaak Sooar and Vincen Garcia

Read "Our Final Random List Of New Releases From 2023 Including David Binney, Jaak Sooar and Vincen Garcia" reviewed by Len Davis


A random selection of new release from 2023 including David Binney, Jaak Sooaar, Vincen Garcia and The Devine King Project. Playlist Jaak Sooaar “Always Alive" from Zula (Self Produced) 00:00 David Helbock “The Ups And Downs" from The Ups And Downs (ACT Music) 05:22 Apostolis Anthimos “Pinocchios Dream" from Come Together (Metal Mind) 10:42 David Binney “Power" from Action (Mythology) 15:59 Derek Sherinian-Simon Phillips “Alpha Burst" from Sherinian/Phillips-Live (Inside Out) 21:11 Vincen Garcia “Aprieta" from Ventura (Self Produced) ...

1
Festivals Talking

Jazzkaar Interviews: Jaak Sooäär

Read "Jazzkaar Interviews: Jaak Sooäär" reviewed by Martin Longley


The Estonian guitarist Jaak Sooäär reaches his 50th birthday on Monday 25th April, and celebrates by playing a gig at the Jazzkaar festival in Tallinn. Most of Sooäär's prominence in the country, and around the rest of Europe, emanates from his inspired output as an adventurous jazz guitarist, but he has occasionally side-stepped into the realms of rock, folk and classical musics. His recent recorded work and live performance has concentrated on the Sooäär-Ounaskari-Yaralyan trio. Sooäär's latest group ...

6
Album Review

Sooäär-Yaralyan-Ounaskari: Goodbye July

Read "Goodbye July" reviewed by Ian Patterson


Estonian guitarist Jaak Sooäär, Finnish drummer Markku Ounaskari and Armenian bassist Ara Yaralyan first joined ranks in 2016, though all three have been active across the Baltic jazz scenes since the 1990s. Sooäär has collaborated with veterans such as Anders Jormin, Han Bennink and Vladimir Tarasov, Ounaskari with Arve Henriksen and Tore Brunborg, while Yaralyan has played with Verneri Pohjola and Vardan Ovsepian, and is a regular in the trio of Kari Ikonen. The trio's debut, Shooting Star (o-tone music, ...

9
Live Review

London Jazz Festival 2015

Read "London Jazz Festival 2015" reviewed by Duncan Heining


London Jazz Festival London, UK November 13-22, 2015 Like many city-fests, the London Jazz Festival criss-crosses the town, spanning the River Thames that splits it in two. Two Southbank Centre venues--the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room--are being refurbished this year, making Kings' Place an even more significant festival stage and bringing the Cadogan Hall near “posh" Sloan Square into major service. The festival's programming is, as ever, eclectic and highly creative ...

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From Far and Wide

Estonian Jazz and the Avant-Garde: Far-out in the Baltics

Read "Estonian Jazz and the Avant-Garde: Far-out in the Baltics" reviewed by Daniel Spicer


Estonia is a land of music. Its runic folk song tradition predates the Vikings and its people lift their voices at the slightest provocation. Not surprising, then, that Soviet rule was finally ended in 1991 by the bloodless Singing Revolution --a cycle of mass demonstrations in which a fifth of the population gathered to sing national songs. It's also not surprising that there's now a burgeoning --and very healthy --jazz scene in Estonia, centred around the Jazzkaar international festival, held ...

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Award / Grant

Estonian Jazz Awards Go to Jaak Sooaar and Erki Parnoja

Estonian Jazz Awards Go to Jaak Sooaar and Erki Parnoja

Source: All About Jazz

First Estonian jazz awards were handed out during International Jazzkaar Festival which is the largest jazz festival in Estonia and the whole Baltics. Elion Jazz Award was given to guitarist Jaak Sooaar, Young Jazz Talent Award went to guitarist Erki Parnoja.

In this April - or Month of Jazz - Estonian biggest telecommunications and IT company Elion, Estonian Jazz Union and Jazzkaar announced the first Estonian jazz awards. Laureates were announced and awards were given on April 27th at Russian ...

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Zula

AVA Muusika
2024

buy

Goodbye July

o-tone music
2020

buy

Military Space

Leo Records
2013

buy

Beach Party

Barefoot Records
2013

buy

Sea Colours

SoLyd Records
2012

buy

Search Of United...

Bomba Music Productions
2012

buy

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