Mostly Standards - Holger Marjamaa

Mostly Standards is Estonian pianist Holger Marjamaa's debut album as a leader, self-released in 2020 following his studies at the Manhattan School of Music and the Sibelius Academy. The album features a core piano trio with bassist Alexander Claffy and drummer Lee Pearson, augmented on select tracks by guests including trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III, alto saxophonist Aleksander Paal, and a horn section of trombone and tuba. As the title suggests, the program draws primarily from the jazz standard repertoire — Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage," Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love," and others — interspersed with Marjamaa originals like "Holger's Tune," which was later featured on the Estonian Jazz Compilation 2021. The album moves between uptempo swing, ballads, and waltz settings, with Marjamaa's piano style balancing lyrical melodic development with rhythmic drive. Recorded during his time based in New York, the album documents a young musician establishing his voice within the straight-ahead jazz tradition while maintaining connections to the Nordic and Baltic jazz scenes where he first developed.