How Estonian Music Week is expanding its network at jazzahead! festival

BREMEN, GERMANY—Since it was first created in 2018 by Estonian Museum Canada (VEMU), Estonian Music Week has united several big-name jazz artists and venues between Estonia and Canada. More recently, this took shape in Mike Murley sharing the stage with Kristjan Randalu. Nearly three years ago, Kadri Voorand performed together with Juno award-winning pianist and singer Laila Biali.

Even more fruitful collaborations between Estonians and Canadians are on the horizon, though. For example, EMW is striving to bring Laila Biali and Toronto legends the Shuffle Demons to Jazzkaar festival in 2023. Now, there's a chance to move further and show the value of the festival to the rest of the world at the “Family Reunion of Jazz.”

That's because Estonian Music Week will be making a trip to this year's jazzahead! festival in Bremen, Germany.

From April 28th to May 1st, the jazz section of the music industry will converge here, as they have since 2006; to listen and watch, but also establish business contacts for exciting events in the future. The anticipation is high because of the festival being cancelled in 2020 and then taking place virtually in 2021. In past years, over 3,000 delegates from 64 countries and around 25,000 visitors came to the festival, according to jazzahead!. As Joe Woodard of Cadence Magazine has described it, it's an “expanding phenom of a convention, expo, networking emporium and, yes, densely-packed and tightly organized music festival."

Particularly opportune is that, this year, jazzahead! is putting the spotlight on Canadian musicians, music businesspeople, and organizations, with the theme “Together again: jazzahead! meets Canada.” Among the featured music acts are Malika Tirolien and Laila Biali. jazzahead! confirms that during the trade fair weekend, “the program will culminate in 30 venues with 40 showcase concerts, GALA CONCERT and CLUBNIGHT." As “featured partner country” for this iteration of the festival, Canada is also presenting samples of the country's dance, performance art, literature, and film.

Estonian Music Week will join over 30 Canadian delegates and effectively represent both Canadian and Estonian jazz at the trade fair/conference. The festival's aim is to build new relationships between those in the jazz music scene from Estonia and Canada. This includes meetings with Jazz Estonia, Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival, and Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

As stated by EMW's Executive Director Sebastian Buccioni, who will be at jazzahead!, “EMW is already becoming a recognized name in the industry. Our long-term goal for EMW is to keep building on our ability to deliver career boosting opportunities for artists on both sides of the ocean.”

Bold moves like these will ensure that Canada and Estonia's cultural dialogue becomes more audible and that EMW will continue to serve in a supportive role for Estonian musicians trying to reach new audiences in the broader world.

written by Vincent Teetsov, originally published in Estonian Life