Thu, 7 Nov 2024, 20:00
Rob Luft - guitar (UK)
Rahel Talts - piano (Estonia)
Donatas Petreikis - saxophone (Lithuania)
Mariusz Praśniewski - double bass (Poland)
Jesper Lørup Christensen - drums (Denmark)
(modern jazz)
Rob Luft is an award-winning jazz guitarist based in London whose virtuosity has been compared to that of six-string legends such as John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola and Paco De Lucia. He received the 2016 Kenny Wheeler Prize from the Royal Academy of Music, and won second prize in the 2016 Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival. His debut album Riser was released in 2017 on Edition Records and received wide acclaim in the European jazz media. In May 2019, Rob was selected as a BBC New Generation Jazz Artist. He made his debut on the legendary German jazz label ECM Records with the album "Lost Ships", co-written with Swiss-Albanian singer Elina Duni. This album was nominated in the "International Album of the Year" category at the 2021 German Jazz Awards. Luft's last album Dahab Days was released last year.
Rahel Talts is a young emerging Estonian jazz pianist and composer who has been very active musically in Denmark, Lithuania, Estonia and other European countries in recent years. In 2021 she was selected as one of 15 young jazz musicians in the Elbphilharmonie's Jazz Academy project in Hamburg, which culminated in two sold-out concerts at the legendary Elbphilharmonie concert hall. In 2023 Talts was chosen to represent Estonia in the legendary Euroradio Jazz Orchestra. In 2023 Rahel was also a finalist in the Helsinki Grand Orchestra Composition Competition. Talts has its own international 14-member ensemble, the Rahel Talts Ensemble, with whom it released its first album Power of Thought in February 2022 and recorded a new album this summer. Another ensemble she leads is the Quartet, with whom they have toured Europe and Asia and released the highly acclaimed album Greener Grass in May 2023.
The Rahel Talts Quartet performs original music by Estonian pianist and composer Rahel. The group's music can be described as energetic, acoustic, melodic jazz, influenced by Baltic and Nordic folk melodies, as well as older traditional jazz and bebop, making it unique and special. In May 2023, the Rahel Talts Quartet released their first album Greener Grass to great reviews, and in November they will start recording a new album! The quartet has performed and toured in France, Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and other countries. Their last tour to South East Asia was a great success.
This collaboration between Rahel Talts and Rob Luft is very special as it will be their first concert in this Baltic Tour series (the second concert they are playing together). Rob's participation in the Rahel Talts Quartet brings a new colour, texture and perspective to the music that we are all looking forward to! You will hear brand new and slightly older music from Rahel and Rob!