Jazzkaar Interviews: Mingo Rajandi

The Estonian composer and acoustic bassist Mingo Rajandi has created a body of work that includes jazz, free improvisation, moderne art music and scores for theatrical productions. She moved to Brussels nearly four years ago, but still retains resilient links to her old Tallinn scene, with its regular roster of musicians who arrive from varied stylistic quarters. Rajandi is regularly invited by the Jazzkaar festival to write brand new conceptual pieces each year, taking a key place in its programme.

In 2022 she presented an extended work titled Beastesses, and for '24 Rajandi is preparing Werewolves, so something of an ongoing mythical theme appears to be manifesting. "It's definitely not completed," she says, from Brussels. "But I'm starting to get a firm idea that I can see. Until now, it's been more like gathering pieces, but now I think I have something. It's still like scaffolding. I've worked with these people for all the last year, constantly, because my previous programme at Jazzkaar, Elajannad (Beastesses), started as a concert. First of all I composed the music, and then there was an actress [Eva Koldits], and we made a concept of text and music together. Then I recorded the music on an album, without text, and then we made an actual theatre piece, with another actress, and new texts. We played it for a whole year. On the album the band is extended."

It's clear that Elajannad is coupled with a theatrical narrative, its somber aura-weaving presents contrasting moods, with instrumentation changing emphasis to suit the shifting requirements. Here, there will be a soft acoustic guitar interlude, there a dark reed meditation. Strings will sweep, with up-tempo sections interspersed, giving ground for a Frisellian guitar solo, a brighter tack. Then a dark, creeping lope develops, ultimately leading to an accelerated rock-out.

There is a filmed document of the theatre production, which Rajandi is distributing internationally.

Rajandi sometimes mourns the lack of time available to hone a new work, as it often has its biggest concert for its premiere, but might sound more developed further down the line. "Jazzkaar forces me to come up with something new," she acknowledges. "So I'm always composing, and trying to find new things. Thanks to Jazzkaar I've developed a lot as a composer, there's no doubt about that. I would love to just play, to discover all the new answers in the music, and in the band, you really find a way of playing only after a while. Sometimes it makes me sad that the rawest performance is always at Jazzkaar, which is the biggest event. I haven't had a chance to go there and play something that is matured in its own juices."

The musicians for Werewolves are mostly descended from the Beastesses theatrical production, and some of them are also familiar from other Rajandi outfits, such as her Quintet and The Free Musketeers. The line-up includes Tobias Tammerau (saxophones), Erki Pärnoja (guitar) and Ahto Abner (drums). The unfamiliar presence will be Andres Kaljuste (viola).

"First of all I had a cello player, but I had to replace him, then I remember writing to Andres, who's also a conductor, but plays violin and viola as well." Rajandi asked if he had any cellist recommendations, and she gave him her requirements: "Has to be inclined towards improvisation. Has to be amenable to multiple stylistic genres. Has to be open-minded. I had a lot of criteria." Kaljuste responded that he had no-one particularly in mind, but he invited Rajandi to re-write the cello parts for viola, and let him join the band himself, easily resolving the situation. "He's a perfect match, I would say! Quite amazing. He comes from the completely classical scene, but I think that he's exceptionally free and open-minded, and being a conductor he knows what it's like to create ambience and stories."

It sounds like Kaljuste is destined to merge harmoniously with this crew. "This band has come to its own sound," says Rajandi. "And we know each other. It's a very good place to be, I think. Now, with the new music, I can leave it more open. We have a rehearsal camp for quite a few days, in the beginning of April, so I think we're going to discover new things. There's going to be a lot of composed music, though. Both are going to be present. We're not going to do actual singing, but more continuing the same theatrical path, using our own voices for the texts. Just some little things I've scribbled myself. Very individualistic. I'm interested in the idea of 'us' and 'them' on all levels. It starts from children in the playground. It comes to all minorities, or being a stranger in your own family. I hope it will be something that will make people go home and think, have them feel that they've been through something, to shake them up..."

The foundation human instinct to form gangs, invariably leading to gang warfare.

This could be a bittersweet blend of harrowing and beautiful music...

Your scribe wonders if Rajandi feels nostalgic for the Tallinn life, and how she might be developing in Brussels. "I do return quite often, but I don't feel nostalgia at all about Estonia, I just miss my friends. They've been difficult years, with the lockdowns, and I feel that I haven't had time to establish anything here [Brussels], because I've been so busy with my Estonian projects. I'm not afraid, but I feel a bit wary, coming from somewhere else, and everybody here has their own established things. The fact that I haven't got much going on here is entirely my fault."

But lo! Rajandi is side-stepping to Gent on 20th April (the day before Jazzkaar) for Instant Festival, an all-dayer of improvised music at the SMAK Museum. The programme is organised by Rogé Verstraate, the figure behind the Citadelic festival and the el Negocito label. Rajandi will join Barry Guy, Aki Takase, Han Bennink, John Dikeman, Louis Sclavis and Luis Lopez, among others.

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