The Big Band Theory with Kristjan Karmo
TalTech Big Band was established in April 2009 and the first rehearsal took place in the 6th Building of our university. Back then, they were just a group of students, who liked to play together at various venues.
By now they have evolved into one of the best big bands in the country, still maintaining the form of a classic big band, consisting of 5 saxophones, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 4 members of the rhythm section, a vocalist (sometimes more than one), and a conductor. Big Band plays a variety of genres — jazz, swing, disco, rock, and many others.
Today’s interview is with Big Band’s vocalist Kristjan Karmo. The initial plan was to announce the Big Band’s Advent concert at TalTech with this interview. Nevertheless, pandemic times introduced some corrections and so instead of a concert we invite you to check out a video about that one most famous reindeer, loaded with Christmas spirit...and enjoy the interview as planned.
The Beginnings
I started singing somewhere way in the past, maybe still in kindergarten times. Just this summer I talked to one of my former conductors mentioning that I have no formal music education. He disagreed pointing at the fact that so many years of singing in choirs with professional, even legendary conductors can in fact count as education. I sang in the Academic male choir and this is how I found Big Band.
Interestingly, someone from the female choir mentioned the audition of Big Band, a message that somehow got lost and was not forwarded to me. Once I have heard of it of course I went to the audition, it was my life-long dream. And now, 11 years later, I am still here.
TalTech Big Band
If I answer honestly, I am not a hundred percent sure of the history of the term Big Band. I know it’s a type of a jazz orchestra since late 1930–40s and it is used to describe what instruments are in it as opposed to smaller bands. If you go bigger than Big Band — it is essentially an orchestra already.
Here is a bit of history of TalTech Big Band. When it started it took a while to get support from the university, other than the possibility to use some rooms. Some years ago, we became a member of the Kultuurikeskus or the TalTech Cultural Centre. Sometimes I get a bit confused and want to call them Culture Club (laughing). We have received some financing through that some years ago and additionally, this year we have also managed to negotiate funding on an equal level with other cultural entities in the university.
For me it was really interesting to be in those meetings as at one point I was representing the male choir and Big Band at the same time. It is a strange feeling, because what happens in a big group of people, like a choir, is that the individual level of responsibility feels lower. Although it should not be the case because every single person counts and affects the quality.
So yes, we are TalTech Big Band, as simple as that.
Band members
Many of our members are people from TalTech, I would say this year is better than ever in this regard. For example, this year we have had more than 10 people who contacted us via Facebook, 7 of them TalTech students, out of whom 3 3 have even performed on stage with us. Nevertheless, the thing is you cannot really rely on having all the band members from the university. We do require a certain quality level, otherwise we would have to adjust to the weakest link and it would become boring for the advanced members.
A cool fact is that we even had a professor emeritus in the band for many years, physics professor Rein-Karl Loide from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
His schedule is too tight for the regular rehearsals, but when we are short for a saxophone player, we invite him to help us out.
We have had international players in the band on the stage, but I do not recall any international students among them, although it would be great to have some, of course.
I must admit our rehearsals are in Estonian and as soon as you have one international team member you have to switch to another language, which brings a whole new set of challenges.
Nevertheless, for instance, we have an American, not affiliated with TalTech, who has been playing trombones with us. He is still coming to the rehearsals sometimes and for him Estonian is not much of a problem. Many musical terms are international, and one gets used to the language we use. It’s definitely doable. In recent years, we’ve had on average 70 people per year in one way or another affiliated with us.
Your favourite music style…
Interesting. I don’t know. I used to be a sort of pure rock guy but with time I have evolved and learned that in every genre there is something good, just in some genres you have to dig a lot deeper to find it (laughing).
Regarding singing, I wouldn’t limit myself to a specific genre. I like singing with Big Band, especially in those formats where people are dancing. Then it is more dynamic, the conversation with the audience is flowing smoother.
I do like to sing Sinatra or Michael Bublé. Interestingly enough, Ella Fitzgerald’s register translates to mine very well, at least in some songs and then I take it one or two octaves lower of course.
I used to have a rock band for years, but it’s been on hiatus for a few years now. There are too many other things in life that take up the time. Keeping a band and successfully running it is pretty difficult. Therefore, Simmo deserves a lot of credit. During all these 11 years he has been the very main component holding it all together.
Putting a playlist together
Mostly our instructors, Teet Raik and Bianca Rantala, decide what we will play, but there is some democracy and sometimes the singers get to vote as well. Sometimes it’s our main organizer Simmo Siil. He usually appreciates the input from us. From personal experience, I know it’s not easy to put the playlist together.
I know it because in summer 2012 we started a tradition, which we maintain ever since. Every August, I organize a garden party in my garden, not far away from TalTech, where the Big Band performs for our families, neighbors and close friends and then it is me, who is in charge of creating a playlist.
Something you would never sing
I self-identify as a singer-songwriter and therefore I am deeply invested in the lyrics.
If the message of the song will be completely out of sync with my worldview, I would most probably say no to it, but so far I haven’t had that experience.
There are a couple of songs in the Big Band’s repertoire with sort of question marks. One such example is Baby, it’s cold outside, which is a bit off. Nevertheless, it is a matter of interpretation and how you are viewing it and whether you are taking into account the time when it was created.
Another interesting example is The Lady is a Tramp, because it is an actual satire laughing at the cultural norms of high society. Because the protagonist of the song doesn’t do all the silly things expected from her, she is a tramp. While performing I’ve done something in Sinatra’s style, changing the line to this chick is a champ, revealing the irony of the previous lyrics.
Unusual situations
In the first years there were many confusing situations. Whoever arranged it for the Big Band to play wasn’t really thinking it through and as a result we didn’t always have an audience. Or they were somewhere in the other part of the hall or room, not engaging with the band at all. In yet another case, we were on the stage and there was just a couple of people walking by but kind of ignoring us. At the moment when maybe only three songs were left till the end, they would suddenly come to us and act all surprised that we are about to wrap up (laughing).
We’ve had quite a lot of chances to sing with famous Estonian singers, such as Anne Veski, Ivo Linna, Heidy Tamme, Voldemar Kuslap, Airi Allvee, Tanel Padar, Uku Suviste, Laura Põldvere, Elina Born, Liis Lemsalu, etc. It has been a really great experience, especially since most of them turned out to be really friendly people. Usually the more experienced they were, the humbler and more laid back they seemed in person.
This year with the beginning of the lockdown, when everyone started making music remotely we also decided to give it a try. And so we did a cover of That’s Life, for which I wrote new lyrics in Estonian, describing the lockdown period. Funnily, of all the recordings we have ever done this one the most in tune one. Maybe it has to do with the fact that everyone had to be their own first critic, while in the studio, everyone plays together and mistakes add up.
What’s next for you?
Traditionally, we have sauna evenings once or twice per year, during which we discuss how the previous season went and what our plans for the future are. After this year we would just want to get back to having the dance parties again. I say specifically dance parties, because you can still somehow do concerts, by streaming it, or simply spreading the crowd around. Dance gigs, which is probably the most fun for me, are a different story.
Free time with the band
Although most of other bands, dance groups and choirs also have events and parties, where they socialize with each other, we somehow only come together to any party as a band, for other people to dance to our beat.
Each of us has our own hobbies and friends, and the way we prefer to spend our free time. But when we come together, we come together to play (laughing).
