The beloved series of Jazzkaar’s home concerts took a different path this year, leading to the artists’ second home—the recording studio. This time, audiences had the privilege of experiencing the commanding presence of Rita Ray, who effortlessly delivers her powerful vocals not only in grand concert halls but also in the intimate setting of a studio.
Rita Ray is a familiar name to the Estonian people, her career taking off rapidly in 2019 with the release of her debut album, “Old Love Will Rust.” This album not only catapulted her to fame and garnered respect within the industry but also earned her four nominations at the Estonian Music Awards (Eesti Muusikaauhinnad). Everything that followed seemed natural and inevitable—a follow-up album titled “A Life of Its Own,” recognition as Female Artist of the Year, the prestigious Best Album of the Year award, sold-out concerts, collaborations with other artists and performances with orchestra at the Estonia Concert Hall. Not to forget concerts across Europe! Impressive, isn’t it?
The concert took place at the Selektor Studio – hidden place in one of the buildings of Telliskivi Creative City. The studio fitted around 25 people, half of which were foreign guests. A cozy atmosphere with lots of plants and vintage furniture made it feel like visiting your old friend’s house. That day, Rita Ray was accompanied by guitarist Johannes Laas.
The opening song of the concert was ‘Love Ain’t The Same’, a beautiful piece written and composed by Rita herself, just like the rest of the songs on her albums. The undeniable benefit of the studio concert is its space and size, which helps the guests feel like the artist is performing only for them.
The audience not only enjoyed the most famous songs from her albums but also some unreleased and surprise pieces. The duo performed ‘No Greater Love’, ‘Ms. Steal-Your-Man’, ’Sing It With Love’ and ‘Old Love Won’t Rust’. Some of the songs were accompanied by the guitar only, while others were also supported by piano, beautifully played by Rita. During the performance of ‘Expert in Everything’, Rita suddenly forgot all the words, and despite several tries to restart the song, she didn’t succeed. Perhaps Rita felt embarrassed, but not the audience, who cheered the singer on and encouraged her to continue with the song. With smiles and laughter, we managed to end the song together.
While most of Rita’s songs are in English, she didn’t forget to treat her Estonian audience with a tribute song, ‘Kui tahad olla hea’ (‘If you want to be good’), which was recorded for the movie ‘Varastati Vana Toomas’ (1970) and performed by the famous Estonian jazz musician Marju Kuut (1946-2022). Another surprise for the audience was the performance of her unreleased song called ‘No One Like You’, which she dedicated to her mother.
Indeed, one of the favorites was ‘Please Wait For Me’ – a beautiful song about meeting someone in the right place but wrong time. Throughout the entire song, you could feel goosebumps appearing, and your eyes closing automatically in the joy of the music.
The concert ended with ‘Disco Stu’, which gave off the vibe of a classical disco song, transporting everyone back to the mid-70s. The audience at Selektor Studio supported Rita and Johannes by snapping their fingers to the beat of the music.
After the concert, the musicians mingled with the audience, chatting and showing them around the music studio. During the conversations, one lady mentioned that it was her first time attending Rita’s concert, while another gentleman revealed it was his seventh time. Rita expressed gratitude to everyone for attending, stating that whether it was their first or seventh time, she is always delighted to see people coming to enjoy her music. Both Rita and Johannes were very chatty, as if there hadn’t been a one-hour concert prior to that.
Musicians also announced that after a short break, together with band they would embark on a tour across Germany. Hoping that the German audience would appreciate the music as much as the audience at Selektor Studio did. We look forward to seeing Rita Ray again soon, whether she’s performing with a full band or in a duo – she can do it all.
Studio Concert: Rita Ray Duo
28th of April 2024, 1 pm at Selektor Studio
The band:
Rita Ray – vocal, piano
Johannes Laas – guitar
Photo: Ellu Vibur
See the concert’s photo gallery