27th January 2023: Kristjan Randalu wins Jazz Album of the Year at the 2023 Estonian Music Awards

Huge congratulations to Kristjan Randalu for winning Jazz Album of the Year in the Estonian Music Awards last night in Tallinn.

The award was for his recently released album Sisu with the New Wind Jazz Orchestra.

Sisu marks the beginning of a new chapter for esteemed Estonian pianist and composer Kristjan Randalu – as his first large ensemble project recording. It’s also the debut outing for the New Wind Jazz Orchestra conducted by Wolf Kerschek and features special guest trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and guitarist Ben Monder.

This nine-track record combines brand new, large ensemble arrangements of original compositions by Randalu, as well as reworkings of established pieces from the Estonian canon. There are no traditional “swing big band” sounds here; rather, the album features a myriad tapestry of intriguing, pulse-oriented arrangements. Randalu affirms: “My goal was not to put together a traditional big band program.”

Sisu is out now, check it out on our e-store here.