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Nr. 35

EESTI ELU reedel, 2. septembril 2022 — Friday, September 2, 2022

One Lääst Blääst at Eesti Maja Vincent Teetsov The Toronto Eesti Maja (Estonian House) is due to close soon. However, there is still one more opportunity for the Estonian community of Canada and its friends to spend time in the building, relive memories, and have a great time together while celebrating this special place. If you’re not sure what this party, the “Lääst Blääst”, is going to be like, read Estonian Life for details on the night’s activities, throw back live music, and where you can buy tickets! 62 years ago, the Toronto Eesti Maja (Estonian House) opened its doors to the sur rounding Estonian commu nity. Very soon, however, one will no longer be able to fre quent its welcoming spaces as it goes into redevelopment and the Estonian community builds a brand new home. To commemorate all the wonderful things that the Estonian House has represented in the last six decades, the Estonian Arts Centre is hosting one final party on site (958 Broadview Ave). You may have heard its name mentioned already – the “Lääst Blääst.” On Saturday October 1st, starting at 6:00 PM (doors open at 5:30), all are invited to visit one more time, together with friends and family. Leading the tribute is a packed lineup of Estonian performers who have provided the soundtrack to community moments over the years. Fittingly, this includes Toronto Eesti Meeskoor (Toronto Estonian Male Choir), who performed at the opening of the Estonian House and rehearsed here from the house’s genesis. They have been a constant presence when events called for the resounding songs of Estonian men. Coming temporarily out of “retirement,” so to speak, to perform will be Leiki and Keila Kopvillem. Having played live with their father, Peeter Kopvillem, and knowing that he would have played at this last bash, they decided to step in and sing his compositions. Peeter’s tunes range from sweet ballads (one being “Aeg”) to foot-stomping rock numbers

(such as “Vabasta mind Miki”). Some of these made their way into an ERR-broadcasted performance of his at the Estonian House in 2007. Kalevipogues will hammer things home with a blend of classic tunes to get people moving, such as The Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” According to bassist Indrek Kanne, the band formed in 1990 when members of the group Tarkus “wanted to continue performing for Baltic Youth dances,” and after Juulia and Juhan Lindau “rejuvenated the band.” Past concerts of theirs include TERR Kungla’s “Baltic Bash” at the Estonian House in 1994 and a summer appearance at ESTO 1992 in New York City. Among Kanne’s fondest memories of the Estonian House is “having a ‘Rolling Estonian’ at Tallinn Festival and dancing to KAJA and Orpheus until [Mr.] Naaber shook his keys and turned off the light to end the night.” Indeed, vodka, cranberry juice, KAJA, and Orpheus will all be part of the partyscape on October 1st. Though KAJA’s co-founder and legendary accordionist Allan Liik is no longer with us, his brother Mihkel Liik is carrying the music forward with KAJA Reloaded. First founded “for the purposes of performing at the 1972 Esto World Scout Camp as well as the first Estonian World Festival in 1972...” KAJA went on to play at four more of these festivals and beyond, averaging over 50 gigs per year across Estonian functions. Many of them took place at the Estonian House. And if you were Estonian and got married in Toronto the 70s or 80s, there’s a good chance they were your wedding band. One of Liik’s funniest Estonian House memories is from the late 70s, when his brother “without giving it much thought, invited the entire packed hall to our very modest family home for an afterparty, to which hundreds of well- lubricated revellers took up the offer!” Audiences can anticipate waltzes, polkas, and dance tunes from their heyday. Liik says, “As KAJA always strived to do – [there’s] a little something for everyone.”

Orpheus from the program of the ESTO 1984 festival in Toronto.

The members of Külapoisid singing at the Põhja-Ameerika eestlaste rahvapidu/laulupidu in 1979. Photo: Hannes Oja

Having performed countless times at the Estonian House and regularly bringing Estonian music to the public, Andres Raudsepp will perform to gether with his daughter Järvi and son Lauri. Audiences can enjoy music by men’s pop ensemble Külapoisid, Estonia Koor, and members of the Lindau family who will be joining groups on

stage. Other surprises and collaborations are in store as well. In between all of this, you can tour the building once more, record your memories in a video booth, enjoy the culinary classics of caterer Ülle Veltmann, and watch as TERR Kungla glides through traditional Estonian folk dances. If you’ve seen these perfor mers in the past, then this will

be a night that takes you back to your youth. If you’ve never heard of any of the aforementioned names, then make your way over to witness a slice of life from the past and party like your parents or grandparents did.

Taking a look at Blade by Mart Avi

have range. He’s proven this once again with his latest studio album, Blade, released in April 2022. Remaining faithful to his artpop style, the record fuses ambient electronic soundscapes with more upbeat rhythms true to the pop genre. This combination, which at first glance seems like an odd combination, keeps you on your toes. Its motions are unpredictable but are reigned in by the leashes of pop’s steady rhythms and added percussion. If Blade is a cake, its first track “FELINE” is but a small morsel; a careful bite that will tempt ravenous indulgence for the rest of the sugary goodness Avi has created. It’s slow and steady, but wistfully so. There’s no beat drop, significant time change, or anything that would indicate where you are in the song at any given time, until the next track, “LOST WEEK END,” hits you in the face like a truck. This is where the fun begins. From the get-go, “LOST WEEKEND” invites listeners into Avi’s art-pop fantasy with a faster tempo, danceable rhythms, quirky lyricism and (sometimes unexpected) adlibs. It’s clear that the production on this track leans more heavily on the pop side of the art-pop spectrum, but the excitement that comes along with this breathes life into the abstract and sometimes unintelligible lyricism that Avi is so familiar with. The mellow, ambient tempo of the next four tracks (“LIFE 4 SALE,” “DEMON WITH A GLASS HAND,” “BIG SLEEP,” and “UNTRACEABLE”) pose questions similar to those raised by “FELINE.” What’s next?

Where are we? Are we there yet?

Natalie Jenkins, LJI reporter The essence of art/avant-garde pop is to deviate from the norm. What is false becomes true; dreams turn to reality. Artists in this loose subgenre take inspiration from other media – including film, art, and poetry – and weave them into pop’s more structured and accessible rhythms. The result: strange, imaginative lyrics that, for the most part, engage in fruitful conver sation with instrumentals that are extracted from other genres. Estonia’s art-pop scene is diverse and teeming with talent, both old and new. One prominent artist that has made a name for himself in the scene is Mart Avi. Born in a small village in Tartu County, Avi released his first album Humanista in 2015. Since then, he’s made four studio albums, as well as seven singles and EPs. Listening to Avi’s sound, which has mostly remained consistent across his projects, is like taking a trip to the future that, curiously, is still firmly grounded in the past. Atmos pheric, electronic instrumentals, much like the clangs of a computer’s hardware operating in the background, play seamlessly while Avi’s rich, versatile voice playfully bounces on top (almost similar to Kate Bush’s intonation). The effect: comprehensively resonant records that merge together the known and the unknown, the yes and the no, the black and the white… In other words, Avi’s records

Tickets ($25 each) are on sale from estonianartscentre.sim pletix.ca

This isn’t to say that they muddle together or are boring in any sense of the term; rather, their elemental nature allows you to direct your attention to the happenings of your day-today life. It’s a soundtrack for the mundane – a play on life in the modern world – examining how so many people are inclined to simply exist instead of live. Here we start to see Blade’s ultimate pattern emerge. Am bient soundscapes stand in strict juxtaposition to the more lively, untamed melodies sprinkled throughout the record. This contrast is intentional: it keeps you engaged throughout. High energy reels you back in after the subtle differences in the calmer, more subdued tracks mesh together. While the latter may lull you to doze off on the bus after a long, tiring day, the former demands your attention, jolting you awake when you’ve finally reached your stop. Blade is available to listen to on Spotify!

Mart Avi.

Photo: ERR