About
Holger Marjamaa takes a three-chorus piano solo on his own composition "Holger's Tune," which opens his 2019 album Mostly Standards. The piece features an unusual 62-bar AABA form in D minor, considerably longer than the standard 32-bar structure, and Marjamaa navigates his own changes at a brisk 265 BPM with the authority of a composer who knows every corner of the harmonic architecture. His playing combines post-bop vocabulary with a European harmonic sensibility, the extended form providing ample room for development across three choruses. As one of only two originals on the album, the track offers insight into Marjamaa's compositional thinking, its challenging length and minor tonality demanding considerable technical facility. Serving as the sole soloist, his improvisation is both virtuosic and musically coherent.
Holger Marjamaa was 26 to 27 years old at the time.
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