Female powerhouses steal the limelight

Photo: Peeter Põldre

Kati Kiilaspea

Saturday, November 30th served as an entertaining and purely fantastical night for all who attended night two of the scintillating collaborative concerts featuring Estonian vocal and instrumental superstars Kadri Voorand along with Mihkel Mälgand and homegrown JUNO award winning vocalist Laila Biali with her talented band.

The night was opened up by Estonian Music Week artistic director Toomas Treumuth, who said a few warm welcoming words.

The concert was organized by the Estonian Music Week Culture Club and supported by personal sponsor Toomas Koger, who introduced the night’s host, and by Heinsoo Insurance. Host Heather Bambrick of Jazz FM fame, who the writer of this article happens to be a big fan of, was witty, charming and humorous, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere very appropriate and fitting for the evening. And what a treat the concert turned up to be.

The first to take the stage was renowned jazz vocalist Kadri Voorand along with just as famed bassist Mihkel Mälgand, who proved to make an amazing duo together. Kadri managed to surprise the audience with every twist and turn her music took, along with showcasing her multi-instrumental talents; taking up the piano, violin, and even kalimba within the span of just three songs. Her voice is really like no other, sultry and smooth one moment yet powerful and majestic the next. Kadri’s vocal style could be described as a mix of scat singing with contemporary jazz vocal stylings. The duo’s improvisational and experimentational nu-jazz style was perfectly punctuated with interesting and captivating electronic vocal effects and looping technology that was seamlessly integrated not only into the music but also into the singer’s witty little transitions between songs.

The pieces were sung mostly in English and were largely translations of beautiful short poems, but also featured bits in Estonian. The improvisational dynamic between the bass and voice presented and made for a complex and very pleasing soundscape that it was impossible not to be enamored by, you could even go as far as calling it “food for the mind” and a total learning experience. Mihkel Mälgand was a show on his own, showing that he is a unique and refreshing bassist by using his double bass as both a melodic and percussive instrument, flowing between the two uses easily. The music was a true personal storytelling mechanism for Kadri, that was very apparent. The audience was left feeling as if they were closely following her journey and brought closer to music as a whole experience in the same breath.

Second on the bill was our own Canadian superstar jazz vocalist Laila Biali along with fantastic local bassist Rich Brown and talented drummer Ben Wittman. This trio was a soulful mix of jazz, pop, soul and funk; creating an irresistible and head-bopping groove within every song. Laila, just like Kadri, had a voice completely her own, managing to be both sweet and powerful, sultry and magnificent. She has a vocal style within which you can hear both traditional and modern jazz stylings, making her voice truly timeless. Laila makes jazz her own by doing an absolutely fantastic job of mixing classical jazz elements and melodies with contemporary rhythms and aspects heard in other popular genres.

Photo: Peeter Põldre

Crossing genre boundaries in a seamless and integrated way not only from one song to the next but also within songs is a true indicator of a talented vocalist and composer. Adding to her pieces were interesting melodic and chord progressions, making the listener await was going to come next in a song. Laila is an absolute powerhouse and force to be reckoned with, with her vocal, piano and compositional talents combined and it is easy to see just why she has taken the jazz and contemporary music world by storm. Her songs are infectious and make you wish that she’d just keep on playing endlessly.

To really put a point on the concert, Kadri and Mihkel joined Laila and her band on stage for a couple of last, improvisational tunes that had, in their own words, been put together “right on the spot.” Of course, there was no hint of that to be heard within the pieces themselves, it sounded as if they had been practicing together for months, they were all so in tune with each other. The last piece eventually faded out gracefully into nothingness and a magical presence was left lingering in the theatre. The evening was a truly unique, beautiful and enticing experience and both of these artists are more than worth keeping an eye on for the music they will be producing in the years to come. For more concerts and events such as this, join the Estonian Music Week Culture Club and keep in touch on social media platforms!