Sooäär/ Yaralyan/ Ounaskari (EE-AM-FI)

Thursday,  January 15, 8 p.m. at Philly Joe's Jazz Club

Estonian guitarist Jaak Sooäär, Armenian-Estonian bassist Ara Yaralyan, and Finnish drummer Markku Ounaskari formed a trio in 2016 which has over the years, performed on many stages around the world from the Baltics to the Balkans. At the start of 2026 they will present their music at Philly Joe's Jazz Club!

The nordic palate of their music is mostly focused on melody, but they also perform Armenian music and improvisations on themes by J. S. Bach. In a way they can be called a piano trio but without a piano, as the guitar covers the wide range and orchestral role of the piano. The trio released the debut album "A Shooting Star" on German label O-Tone Music in October 2018 and their second album “Goodbye July” was released by the same label in October 2020. The trio received the prize of The Estonian Jazz Group 2022. Their third album "Zula" was released by AVA Muusika in 2023. 

Jaak Sooäär is one of the most active jazz musicians of the Baltics, having performed with Ray Anderson, Daniel Erdmann, Anders Jormin, Han Bennink, Will Calhoun, Dave Liebman, Marilyn Mazur and Vladimir Tarasov among others. 

Ara Yaralyan is known for his work in Kari Ikonen Trio, he has also collaborated with Ingrid Jensen, Vardan Ovsepian and Verneri Pohjola to name a few. 

The most well-known member of the trio is Markku Ounaskari, who regularly collaborates with artists such as Arve Henriksen, Anders Jormin, Nils Petter Molvaer, Trygve Seim, Markus Stockhausen, Tore Brunborg, Mats Eilertsen and Lena Willemark and appears on several ECM albums.

Line-up:

Jaak Sooäär - guitar

Ara Yaralyan - double bass

Markku Ounaskari - drums

The ticket does not guarantee a seat, we recommend arriving early or making a table reservation for 10 € per table: info@phillyjoes.com

Philly Joe's jazz club is supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Ministry of Culture, Tallinn Culture and Sports Department, private patreons, and many more.