Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Marju Kuut – walking in her own shadow
Marju Kuut is convinced that her music style had been far ahead from the time she had found it. Estonian jazz diva is writing unique instrumental tunes and pop songs, and has altogether about 500 official recordings in the archive. There is no doubt that Marju has the will to surprise her audience with something new.
Already at her early age Marju recognised the need for a stronger beat in jazz music. During the Soviet era the music reflecting the freedom of the western productions was largely prohibited in Estonia. In 1960’s the first talents in contemporary jazz appeared to the stage. Marju Kuut started with bossanova and moved on with estrade music. She sang the popular music pieces in Estonian language with great passion and improvisational skill. Marju had the courage to work on groovy pop songs and fill jazz with dance rhythms. Estonian composers were challenged to write new songs with their own notion in the modern music. But it was not enough for the new star full of energy and deep ideas. In 1980 Marju Kuut set sail to the spring of her music.
According to Marju Kuut, when living in USA she had an opportunity to study the techniques which kept the songs vital after the mixing process had come to the end. But she never got a chance to bring her own compositions to the western studios. The jazz diva returned to Estonia after several singles of Christian music had been released by the foreign producers. In 1994 Marju Kuut and her son Uku recorded new pop songs written and produced by themselves. Although, Estonia was a free country with its new challenges in the music world the album “Reserva” was ready for the public ten years after. According to Raul Saaremets, the owner of record company Umblu the album was published in the year 2004 as a collection of the old funky songs, which just had to be saved for the next generations. Marju Kuut had been too progressive again. Things had gone wrong in timing the presentation of her music.
Yet, Marju hasn’t lost her faith in come-back. She believes that the pseudoneum Maryn E.Coote gives her finally an opportunity to present the new styles in her repertoire leaving her famous songs from the 1970’s behind. “Audience should have the will to understand when and where the style could be presented”, Marju said to Eesti Päevaleht. She must be tired of the shadows of the bygone days. Her new songs are inspired by the new moods of her life. It would surely bring a surprise to the elder people when seeing grandmother Maryn E. Coote playing house music as the DJ. But no musician wants to live in the past.
Marju Kuut is back from the tour which took her to Sweden and USA. Now we can listen to soul and jazz music performed by Marju on the ferries cruising in the Baltic Sea. However, it seems to take time to recognize the role of Marju Kuut in the modern music world. Estonian audience will always remember her as the singer of the romantic ballads, and one of the first to whisper jazz in Estonian.
Already at her early age Marju recognised the need for a stronger beat in jazz music. During the Soviet era the music reflecting the freedom of the western productions was largely prohibited in Estonia. In 1960’s the first talents in contemporary jazz appeared to the stage. Marju Kuut started with bossanova and moved on with estrade music. She sang the popular music pieces in Estonian language with great passion and improvisational skill. Marju had the courage to work on groovy pop songs and fill jazz with dance rhythms. Estonian composers were challenged to write new songs with their own notion in the modern music. But it was not enough for the new star full of energy and deep ideas. In 1980 Marju Kuut set sail to the spring of her music.
According to Marju Kuut, when living in USA she had an opportunity to study the techniques which kept the songs vital after the mixing process had come to the end. But she never got a chance to bring her own compositions to the western studios. The jazz diva returned to Estonia after several singles of Christian music had been released by the foreign producers. In 1994 Marju Kuut and her son Uku recorded new pop songs written and produced by themselves. Although, Estonia was a free country with its new challenges in the music world the album “Reserva” was ready for the public ten years after. According to Raul Saaremets, the owner of record company Umblu the album was published in the year 2004 as a collection of the old funky songs, which just had to be saved for the next generations. Marju Kuut had been too progressive again. Things had gone wrong in timing the presentation of her music.
Yet, Marju hasn’t lost her faith in come-back. She believes that the pseudoneum Maryn E.Coote gives her finally an opportunity to present the new styles in her repertoire leaving her famous songs from the 1970’s behind. “Audience should have the will to understand when and where the style could be presented”, Marju said to Eesti Päevaleht. She must be tired of the shadows of the bygone days. Her new songs are inspired by the new moods of her life. It would surely bring a surprise to the elder people when seeing grandmother Maryn E. Coote playing house music as the DJ. But no musician wants to live in the past.
Marju Kuut is back from the tour which took her to Sweden and USA. Now we can listen to soul and jazz music performed by Marju on the ferries cruising in the Baltic Sea. However, it seems to take time to recognize the role of Marju Kuut in the modern music world. Estonian audience will always remember her as the singer of the romantic ballads, and one of the first to whisper jazz in Estonian.
