Trad Attack (Estonia)

May we introduce you to TRAD.ATTACK! – Sandra, Jalmar and Tõnu – three good friends and well-known Estonian musicians who have been active on that country’s folk music scene for 15 years, and after joining forces, have literally turned Estonian folks on its head!

Sandra was surrounded by traditional music all her life, and first picked up the Estonian bagpipe when she was thirteen. Jalmar is a Seto, a small ethnic community in southeastern Estonia that has their own distinctive culture – and king. Setos are particularly well known for their traditional singing; Jalmar’s great grandmother was one of the most famous folk singers in Estonia. Tõnu’s father is the conductor of a brass orchestra and he was playing brass before he could walk. He took up classical trombone and drums as well, and is one of the most in-demand percussionists in Estonia.

In 2014 these talented folks decided to play together just for fun, to do something different, to not set boundaries, to keep it fresh, surprise themselves. They drew inspiration from old archive recordings of Estonian folk, from the music of today – and from each other. Their first tune, Kooreke, was a hit, people wanted more, Trad.Attack! was born, and they’ve been delivering ever since. The trio has won tons of