Rahel Talts, the Estonian piano player

After a concert at the Dachtheater Warendorf I met Rahel Talts and was able to conduct the following interview.

How important was your upbringing for your career as a professional in the music industry? Your father was an Estonia Jazz guitar player. Did he push you to take up piano lessons? And why piano and not guitar lessons?

Rahel Talts : Very important. My family and the atmosphere at home played a huge role in where and who I am today. My father still is a jazz guitar player and my mom plays bass, so they both definitely gently pushed or encouraged me to start with classical piano lessons (and solfège) as a 6 year old. So that’s what I did. I can’t say I really loved or enjoyed it that time, but I am very, very grateful that they pushed me in this direction because it has given me a strong basis as a piano player, composer, artist and human being. I am not sure why they chose piano, maybe because my father already plays guitar, but who knows. It all worked out well!

What was the reason to take up not only piano lessons but also drumming lessons? Did you dream as a young teenager to form an all-girls rock band?

Rahel Talts : I was very interested in lots of different instruments. Drums and percussion was very exciting to me so I chose to take these lessons as well and even graduated at the music school twice (first with classical piano, second time with percussion). And percussion included a lot of xylophone and glockenspiel playing as well, which I loved. In addition to drums and piano, I also studied classical guitar and electric bass for a few years, why not.

I didn’t dream about an all-girls rock band for some reason. As a teenager, my interests were definitely in jazz (hugely because of what was playing at home), so I started pursuing the jazz pianist and composer career from there on. Practicing and taking as much info in as possible.

Why did you move to Denmark and Odense? Was there no opportunity to study somewhere else like at the famous Sibelius Academy Helsinki considering that your languages, Finnish and Estonian, are quite similar?

Rahel Talts : After graduating from the Georg Ots Music College in Tallinn, I wanted to go to a totally different atmosphere and vibe, and maybe a bit further away from Estonia, not that Denmark is very far but still further than Finland or Latvia. I wanted to study traditional jazz; Syddansk Musikkonservatorium in Odense was one of great options in that area. Denmark seemed also a very nice and interesting place to go to, so I went for the auditions and got in, and that’s how it started. Looking back, it was the best decision to go to this school, because it gave me so much as a pianist, composer and opened me up in so many ways as a person, not to mention the closest people I got from there.

Considering your favourite music it seems that large ensembles are what you are after. You performed with the fusion band Allianss, Allan Kaljaste Smooth Group and the Rahel Talts Ensemble in the past. What was the challenge to perform in those groups?

Rahel Talts : Yes, I like playing and writing for large ensembles definitely, but also for smaller ones. Playing in the fusion band Allianss during my Tallinn music college studies was a lot of fun - a band with friends, trying out different, quite complicated stuff musically. So sometimes some of us wrote a bit more challenging tunes so learning them maybe was a challenge, but mostly it was so much fun, same with the Allan Kaljaste Smooth Group. With my ensemble, I love playing the most because it is my soul music and arrangements and I can do it the way I imagine and wish for. The band includes incredible musicians and it is such a pleasure to write for them and play with them. I guess with a big ensemble like this, the challenge is logistics – setting up rehearsals, concerts and all that, … – but I also kind of enjoy that.

What was the reason to give up the large ensemble and focus on a quartet?

Rahel Talts : I have not given up the large ensemble at all! We just released an album in January 2025 and played some concerts in Denmark and Estonia as well recently.
We just play more rarely because of the size of the ensemble, it is financially and logistically more difficult to book concerts and get everyone together. If it would be easier, I would do it all the time because I love this project. And I still have plans and new album ideas for the large ensemble so it is fully going on, haven’t ended anything! Just in reference to my quartet it is more practical to travel with and we have found a great chemistry, sound and connection with each other so we really love playing and touring together.

Is the international mixture of musicians who are part of the quartet a statement?

Rahel Talts : No, it is not a statement. It happened very naturally and randomly actually, I was not planning on it. We all met in Odense while studying and happened to be from different countries. So I formed the band in Denmark and that’s how it started and it is still going strong, even half of the band is in Estonia, other half in Denmark.

How do you manage to rehearse together considering that you live in different parts of Europe?

Rahel Talts : Actually, our bassist and drummer both live in Copenhagen, Denmark, where also me and the saxophonist lived for several years. But now we live in Estonia and they in Denmark so it is only 2 different locations, and getting together is not that difficult. We usually meet for concerts and rehearse either at the sound check or a day before somewhere, depending on the country we meet in. Because we have played a lot together and rehearsed a lot in the past, we know each other well and don’t need a lot of rehearsals before concerts, our program is quite played in over the years and when I bring new tunes, I send the sheets in advance and everyone checks them out beforehand and then at the sound check or day before we rehearse.

Finally, let us talk about your latest album release. How would you characterise the music one can listen too?

Rahel Talts : The latest release “Back and Forth” is an album with my quartet plus as a special guest Rob Luft (UK) on guitar, so it is a quintet. Having guitar on the album with the quartet gives a fresh, interesting colour to my music and I am very happy about it. The music is energetic, melodic, dreamy and emotional in my opinion, but every listener can describe it their own way of course!

The name of the album is “Back and Forth”. Why? What do you want to express with the album title?

Rahel Talts : “Back and Forth” speaks of reminiscing about good old times, feeling nostalgic and remembering the places, people and emotions from the past with gratitude, and even with a momentary wish to get these good old days back. It also looks toward the future with brightness, positivity and high hopes. That feeling of excitement, new possibilities and daydreaming when thinking about moving forward can keep you motivated. So it is about the past and future in a positive way, that’s why it is called “Back and Forth”.

Is the European context important for your compositions?

Rahel Talts : I can say that my Estonian roots are very important for me in my music and I like to arrange Estonian folk melodies often in a more jazzy way. You can hear that in our concert program as well. And also, I am very influenced by the melodies from my home place so I think some melodies in my compositions are very Estonian-like and combining that with Nordic jazz which I learned more about while living in Denmark, and traditional jazz elements, that makes a unique sound I think.

Do the co-musicians contribute to the compositions or is there a sort of sharing your ideas involved?

Rahel Talts : In a way, yes, because when I bring a new tune to the rehearsal they make it their own and add their own creativeness to it. Of course, they don’t compose or arrange music in this band, but they contribute with their amazing musicianship and ideas about form or dynamics and all that, which is so beautiful.

After years in Denmark do you live now again in Estonia or somewhere inside the Baltic region?

Rahel Talts : After leaving Denmark in 2023, I moved to Lithuania actually and lived there for two years with my husband Donatas Petreikis who is the saxophonist in my band as well. And in 2025, we decided to move to Estonia; so yes, now I am here. Nice to change the environment from time to time.

Why did you decide to leave Denmark and go back?

Rahel Talts : The studies were finished and it made sense at that moment to move to Vilnius, Lithuania which had some opportunities showing up at that time. Sometimes I still miss Denmark and it was the best time of my life so far, but it is so good to be in the Baltics as well.

Have you ever met the Estonian guitar player Jaak Sooäär? I just want to know if the jazz scene in Estonia is intermingled? Is there a vivid club scene in Tallinn and elsewhere? Are there festivals you meet each other?

Rahel Talts : Yes of course I know Jaak Sooäär, he’s a great guitarist and person! Estonia is so small so everyone knows everyone here. And because of that, there is also not a big jazz scene here, it is mostly just a music scene with all the rhythmic music genres blended together - I mean, jazz musicians play pop, rock musicians play jazz etc.

You play a lot of different stuff basically, whereas in Denmark there were clearly jazz musicians (even there it is divided between free jazz, traditional jazz, original music artists, etc), pop musicians, rock musicians etc. In Estonia, there is not a long jazz tradition either, but I feel like it is getting much bigger and more interesting and fresh these days with all the new cool, talented musicians coming up!

Interview & photos © ferdinand dupuis-panther, 2026

https://www.raheltalts.com

CD Review in German