Night-, Day- and SongBook
Review of the Kaarnakivi Seltsi Kirjastus hardcover edition (December 2021)

Laskub üks haldjas, väsinud,
aga sitke ja selgete silmega ja lausub:
Hei, poisid, kas olete valmis?
Siis lükkame korraga.
Peipsi koha pealt lükkame lahti
selle väikese Maarjamaa.

[A fairy descends, tired,
but with firm and clear eyes and says:
Hey guys, are you ready?
Then let's all push together.
Away from Lake Peipsi, we'll push
this small country of St. Mary's Land.] - opening lyrics to Lahtilükkamine (Pushing Free) by Jaak Johanson, a song from the Singing Revolution (1987-1991) era in the Baltic States.

See photograph at https://folkloorinoukogu.ee/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/jAAK-jOHANSON-1024x683.jp...
Photograph of musician & artist Jaak Johanson (1959-2021). Image sourced from an obituary at the Estonian Folklore Council.

Ööö-, päeva- ja lauluraamat (Estonian: Night, Day and Songbook) is a posthumous collection of the lyrics of songs written by or regularly performed by modern day troubadour Jaak Johanson, and includes facsimile copies of selections from his diary notebook and art work. The work had been planned out by Johanson prior to his passing from leukemia and he had written about half of the lyrics out in his characteristic calligraphic style. The song & diary texts frequently utilize Jaak's playing with spelling and letter styles which add to their unique presentation.

This is a beautiful memorial to Johanson's life's work and has been lovingly compiled by several of his work and life collaborators and family, especially his wife and fellow musician Krista Citra Joonas.

I can't be unbiased about my rating and appreciation for this book as I had the pleasure of meeting Jaak in both Toronto and Tallinn in the late 1980's/early 1990's during the Singing Revolution era and the effect of his enthusiastic, infectious and warm personality was a beacon of positivity throughout that era and the memory of it continues to be so up to the present day.

Trivia and Links
Ööö-, päeva- ja lauluraamat was published through the aid of a crowdfunding campaign on Hooandja, the Estonian version of Kickstarter / Indiegogo etc. The book is now available through all standard and online Estonian bookstores. ( )