Published: October 04, 2009 7:13 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight October 2009 Edition
Rita di Ghent
Rita di Ghent Photo by Greg Swales
Rita di Ghent has created an amazing new type of sensational Jazz experience with her unique blend of Soul and Nu Jazz. Rita's sultry voice adds to the sensual and seductive sound of her music. What make her music especially hot to listen to are the intoxicating lyrics that perfectly blend nicely with the artist's voice. In this spotlight with our Webzine, Rita speaks to us about her music and why she loves what she is doing.
Isaac: Describe your origin.
Rita: I came up as a jazz musician, but I started experimenting and trying to create a viable hybrid of jazz and contemporary urban music. I didn't want to describe my music as jazz because that either connotes something specific in people's minds or else it casts too wide a net for people to get a sense of what the music's about.
Sprawl started out as an acronym, but now it just stands for the name given to my original contemporary jazz material. By saying that my musical genre is Sprawl, I get a chance to explain what the music is about. If I said my music is jazz, that might be a door-closer.
Isaac: Who are your major influences?
Rita: All the classic jazz masters, both instrumental and vocal and any kind of music that grooves. I'd say my parents were the primary influences because they both loved music and raised me and my four siblings in a musical household.
Isaac: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
Rita: Because I use jazz players, there's no band, per se. Usually, jazz players are hired guns, freelancers. It's becoming more and more rare that the same group of jazz musicians record and perform on a long-term basis. I hire whoever is available from the A-list jazz players on the scene.
Isaac: Do you have a record label?
Rita: Yes, I formed my own label, Groove, in 1995 and the subsidiary, Groove Classic, in 2001. The label's motto is "keeping one foot in the future and one foot in the past!"
Isaac: Are you a member of any music organizations?
Rita: SOCAN.
Isaac: Where have you performed?
Rita: I've performed at festivals and clubs in Canada, the U.S, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.
Isaac: What are your favorite and least favorite venues?
Rita: I enjoy playing anywhere where people are there for the music. It doesn't matter if there's an audience of 20,000 or 20. I also enjoy playing places where the presenter values the music and the musicians. I like working with laid-back and professional people.
Isaac: Do you have any upcoming shows?
Rita: The gigs that I have coming up in the next couple of months gives a sense of the diversity:
Oct. 8: a fundraiser for JAZZFm, the Toronto all-jazz radio station
Oct 17: a concert at my house in Picton, ON
Oct 24: a fundraiser for Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, Picton, ON
Most of my gigs for the next few months are close to home since I teach in the Jazz Department at Toronto's York University. When school gets out, I'll be teaching farther afield.
Isaac: Which songs do you perform most frequently?
Rita: The repertoire is driven by the type of gig and audience. I will perform everything from jazz standards to Sprawl to blues.
Isaac: Do you ever play any covers?
Rita: Yes, the jazz standards are covers. For my one act, Rita's Parlour that I do with guitarist Sam "the Shark" Sharkawy, I also cover 30s and 40s novelty tunes and blues numbers.
Isaac: Do you have a set play list?
Rita: It tends to be different for every gig.
Isaac: Who writes your songs?
Rita: I do, mainly. I co-wrote some tunes with bass player Ian de Souza on the new CD, Sprawl Indigo.
Isaac: What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
Rita: Some of them are just cute and catchy like All Baby Wants is Me and Short Man Blues and others are more socially conscious. For example, $20 Ring is about a poor girl who saves up for a fake diamond and then gets robbed and killed by a punk who thinks it's real. Peace Conspiracy is about karma and higher consciousness. This Ain't Livin' is a day in the life of a homeless man. L'incanto is about a woman who uses Italian witchcraft to get her lover back.
Isaac: Do you think these topics will change over time?
Rita: Yes, I do. The music reflects my headspace at the time. I've written two albums of work that are what I call Tales of the Inner City, but I think I'm done with those observations for now. I feel myself moving into a different head space. I'd like to write an album entirely of blues. I'd like to write a folk album about the roots of America.
Isaac: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Rita: Well, it's really varied. Sometimes I write the lyrics first, sometimes the music. Usually, it grows from an initial small spark of inspiration--something I've heard or seen. Sometimes it comes all at once and sometimes a song takes many months of putting it away and taking it out again before it comes to life.
Isaac: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Rita: Rehearsals are a luxury. Luckily, all the players are top-notch and need, at most, a quick run-through. Sometimes, there's no rehearsal at all--that's jazz!
Isaac: What has been your biggest challenge? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Rita: Maybe the biggest challenge is commanding a respectful fee for a performance.
Isaac: What's your ultimate direction for you? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
Rita: I'd say I'm seeking to keep writing and making records and living a life that's balanced. The most important thing is love and peace of mind and a sense of contribution. I just want to keep doing what I'm doing.
Isaac: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Rita: Have a leader and have the leader be a cool person!
Isaac: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?
Rita: Thank you for asking. My music is available on iTunes, CDBaby, and amazon.com
Isaac: Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
Rita: CDBaby has samples of all my music, the straight-ahead stuff and the Sprawl stuff.
Isaac: Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
Rita: First and foremost, my parents. Then, there are the wonderful musicians who have lent their beautiful musicianship to my projects. The Toronto Arts, Ontario Arts, and Canada Arts Councils have been tremendously supportive. So has CBC Radio. Nick Blagona, who engineers/produces my albums, has been extremely generous with his talent and support.
Isaac: Any last words?
Rita: Thank you for this interview and for your support for non-major label music. I'm honored to have been featured in Junior's Cave.
I'd also like to say that music has value. Please support independent artists by paying for their music. Go see live music and feel good about shelling out like you do at the movies. It's the ultimate healer--that's worth something, isn't it?
