With a voice that seems to speak to us from the heart of the Estonian forest, Mari Kalkun’s music is at once of a place and deeply personal. Rooted in ancient Estonian and Võru traditions, but beautifully fresh and contemporary, Stories of Stonia reaches back to very old layers of tradition to imagine what Mari’s ancestors would have thought and sung about the world in an era of skyscraper, steel and metal. Throughout the album’s nine songs, Mari explores humanity’s controversial relationship with nature with powerfully emotive musical backdrops. One of Northern Europe’s most important folk singers Mari has created a mysterious and magical album.

Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits (b. 1969) belongs to his country’s most prominent composers. His works are rich with delicate atmosphere possessing a particularly Northern feel combined with a romantic and Impressionistic touch. This new album by the award-winning Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and conductor Risto Joost is the final volume in a trilogy of works for choir and orchestra.

“ESSR” in the “Groove of ESSR II” stands for Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. Yet for Estonia, there was nothing really “republic” about the situation of being occupied by Soviet Russia. So escaping the oppression through music is a running theme for the Groove of ESSR compilation. Funk Embassy Recs returns with the second volume of tracks that hide meaning between lines or offer solace on the dancefloor.

I'm Tobias Tammearu. Saxophonist and composer. Almost a year ago, I invited Robert Rebase (bass guitar) and Martin Petermann (drums) to the rehearsal room to give three concerts in different parts of Estonia for four hours within the framework of the International Music Day on October 1, 2019. We gathered under a common name - Tobias Tammearu Trio. By now, we have recorded the debut album "Bivium", on which you can find seven original songs by both me and Robert.