Four Spaces, Four Meanings: Narrating Jazz in Late Stalinist Estonia

Abstract

This study of Estonian jazz in the late Stalinist era argues that for a comprehensive overview of jazz in Soviet society a view from multiple perspectives is necessary. I present this view of Soviet Estonian jazz by applying a model of four cultural spaces of action. To introduce how jazz culture functioned at those different levels, and to explore the meanings framing the actions of cultural actors, I examine four locations of jazz exemplified in four case studies. As I demonstrate, the meaning of jazz as it emerged in four distinct cultural spaces varies greatly. The case of Soviet Estonian jazz also tends to confirm the argument that Soviet power never achieved its totalitarian goals. Despite the regime’s efforts to silence jazz, the music did not disappear from private realms in Estonian cultural space.