Rita di Ghent

YOU HAVE REACHED THE SITE FOR RITA DI GHENT'S ORIGINAL URBAN JAZZ PROJECT: SPRAWL. TO HEAR RITA SING STRAIGHT-UP JAZZ STANDARDS, CHECK OUT HER OTHER SITE: www.myspace.com/ritasparlour
RITA'S BACK WITH MORE OF HER GROUNDBREAKING ORIGINAL URBAN JAZZ!
FOR BOOKING INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT [email protected]
Her groundbreaking and original CD "The Birth of Sprawl" put Rita on the map. Critics hailed her as "The future of jazz" and “…one of the most interesting singers of the contemporary era…”
Now di Ghent's back with her sophomore original outing: "Sprawl Indigo", featuring more of her stunning, poetic and rapier observations of inner-city life. This new outing also represents a post-humus collaboration with her late guitarist brother, Mark Ghent. Samples of Mark's playing appear as soundscapes, riffs and solo sections on the new album.Sprawl Indigo is co-produced by one of Canada's deepest bass players, Ian de Sousa and engineered by the legendary Nick Blagona (Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Le Double Six, etc.)
MORE ABOUT DI GHENT:
Rita is a Montreal Jazz Festival "Prix de Jazz" Nominee (for her work on "The Birth of Sprawl") and a two-time "Jazz Vocalist of the Year" Nominee (National Jazz Awards).
The number of women band leaders with staying power in the Canadian jazz scene can probably be counted on one hand. The number of women band leaders of longevity who invent their own musical style is even less... Rita di Ghent is one of those rarities.
Following the success of her groundbreaking The Birth of Sprawl CD, Rita created a "Classic" subsidiary of her indie label, Groove. To date, there have been two releases on the Groove Classic label: The Standards Sessions vol. 1 and vol. 2. Rita's considerable skill as a swinger and interpreter, as evidenced on these outings, have garnered her considerable attention in sales, airplay and licensing. The self-penned "All Baby Wants is Me" was licensed for use as the opening and closing credits of one of a series of film adaptations of the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Carol Shields. Two of Rita's tracks from The Standards Sessions were licensed to Universal music. The tracks appear on Rendez-vous on the Jazz Boulevard, vol. 2 and vol. 3 on which Rita appears alongside Norah Jones, Roberta Flack, Diana Krall, Stacey Kent and Natalie Cole, et al.
The number of women band leaders with staying power in the Canadian jazz scene can probably be counted on one hand. The number of women band leaders of longevity who invent their own musical style is even less... Rita di Ghent is one of those rarities.
Following the success of her groundbreaking The Birth of Sprawl CD, Rita created a "Classic" subsidiary of her indie label, Groove. To date, there have been two releases on the Groove Classic label: The Standards Sessions vol. 1 and vol. 2. Rita's considerable skill as a swinger and interpreter, as evidenced on these outings, have garnered her considerable attention in sales, airplay and licensing. The self-penned "All Baby Wants is Me" was licensed for use as the opening and closing credits of one of a series of film adaptations of the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Carol Shields. Two of Rita's tracks from The Standards Sessions were licensed to Universal music. The tracks appear on Rendez-vous on the Jazz Boulevard, vol. 2 and vol. 3 on which Rita appears alongside Norah Jones, Roberta Flack, Diana Krall, Stacey Kent and Natalie Cole, et al.

READ RITA'S BIOGRAPHY:
TRAINING
Bachelor of Fine Arts, York University
Master of Arts, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (U of T), Centre for Applied Cognitive Science
Royal Conservatory of Music (1994-1995)
Banff Centre for the Arts (1993,1995, 1997)
Private studies in jazz piano (Frank Falco), songwriting (Michael Coghlan), voice (Nancy deLong)
Has performed with Victor Bailey, Mark Ledford, Jeff Haines, Dave Young, Hugh Fraser, Sheila Jordan, Don Thompson, Peter Appleyard, Anthony Braxton.
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Toronto Arts Council Music Creators and Composers Grant (2007)
Jazz Vocalist of the Year Nominee, National Jazz Awards (2004)
Canada Council Grant, Career Development Program (2004)
Jazz Vocalist of the Year Nominee, National Jazz Awards (2003)
Ontario Arts Council Grant for Recording (2002)
Ontario Arts Council Grant for Composition (2001)
Toronto Arts Council Music Creators and Composers Grant (2000)
Prix de Jazz Nominee (Montreal Jazz Festival, 1999)
Canada Council Touring Grant, $29,000 (1999)
Canada Council Project Grant (1995)
FACTOR Independent Recording Artists Loan (1995)
FACTOR Compilation CD Grant (1992)
Banff Centre for the Arts Scholarship (1993)
Dean’s List (York University)
DISCOGRAPHY (solo outings)
Mindin’ the Shop (1994, Groove)
The Birth of Sprawl (1999, Groove)
A Groove Christmas (2000, Groove)
The Standards Sessions 1 (2002, Groove Classic)
The Standards Sessions 2 (2003, Groove Classic)
For release in 2007: Rita di Ghent Live in Breda! (Groove Live)
Sprawl Indigo (2008,Groove)
RADIO, FILM AND TELEVISION
The G-spot, a weekly show on CBC National Radio featuring original songs and commentary on pop culture (1993-1994).
Appeared in the feature-length film Giant Steps as a back-up singer to the female lead (Ranee Lee).
Appearing as a jazz singer in the upcoming Episode 4 of the TV series Tilt. (2205)
Licensed All Baby Wants is Me to Shaftesbury Films as the opening and closing credits to “Windows”, one of six episodes of a series called “The Carol Shields Stories”. (2004)
Licensed Signs of Spring in My Neighbourhood for the documentary Finding My Way, The Anishnawbe Story, No One to Blame Productions.(2005)
Filmed and scored two B & W “urban street-scene” films (edited by Matthew Krist): Signs of Spring in My Neighbourhood and Stygian Shore (2003, 2004)
RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS, etc.
Expert Learning in Music (Masters Thesis)
A Handbook for Teachers of Music in Botswana (currently used by music teachers in teacher training schools throughout Botswana.) This was based on my recordings and transcriptions of Setswana music, and the first time this music had been published in Western notation.
Accompanying Yourself From Scratch, Level 1 (The Jazz Singer Series)
Vocal Improvisation from Scratch, Level 1 (The Jazz Singer Series)
Jazz Vocal Q and A (Column on the National Association for Teachers of Singing site (www.nats.org)
READ SOME OF RITA'S RECENT REVIEWS:
NEW YORK:
"The best new singers I’ve heard have depended not so much on pure sonic pleasure or vocal emotion, but on ideas," wrote jazz columnist Will Friedwald in The New York Sun Dec. 9. One of them is Rita di Ghent…one of the most interesting singers of the contemporary era… The three albums I’ve heard by her (on Groove Productions), all have new ideas on them," wrote Friedwald. Her latest album is Standard Sessions II, in which she does Jacques Brel’s "Ne Me Quitte Pas" as a jazz ballad with string section and solo bass – a sound reminiscent of Charlie Haden’s recent albums. Di Ghent’s most engaging idea is the sound she calls ‘sprawl,’ in which she starts with a standard, like ‘He’s Funny That Way,’ and departs from it in an original passage that’s somewhere between rap and poetry recitation," wrote Friedwald. "These variations make vintage songs seem contemporary without sounding like she’s stooping to conquer. Now that’s a new idea."
FRANCE
…”Rita di Ghent est une chanteuse hot dans la tradition, avec une belle voix mezzo qui colle a merveille (“What a Little Moonlight Can Do”)… Rita di Ghent est une chanteuse don’t on se souvient et qui ne laisse pas indifferent. (Michel Bedin, Jazz Hot, Paris) “Rita di Ghent is a hot vocalist in the grand tradition, with a beautiful mezzo voice that really swings…there are so few singers capable of doing what she can accomplish…Rita is a singer one remembers, one who definitely doesn’t leave a listener indifferent.” (Jazz Hot Magazine, Paris)
HONG KONG:
“…di Ghent is in the mold-breaking business, and has come up with a style all of her own called “sprawl”….sharp, sassy, funky and even fashionable, di Ghent’s performance demonstrated that she can sing jazz in the traditional sense while also bringing her own more modern lyrical and vocal skills to the party. Several of her own song, which focus on North American street life, are excellent, particularly 20 Dollar Ring, a tale of a poverty-stricken girl murdered for a worthless piece of jewelry, and the witty Signs of Spring in My Neighbourhood. Perhaps the high point of the show, however, was a radical re-invention of Bob Dylan’s Just Like a Woman…extraordinarily compelling.” (The South China Morning Post)
CANADA
“…to find an artist who can write and perform out of a traditional jazz setting, and yet do it in a way that appeals to a wide cross-section of musical tastes in no easy feat. To find this quality in an artist who also maintains the highest standards of musical integrity is even more rare. Rita is such an artist.” (The Medicine Hat News)
“The coolest jazz diva on the scene.” (Ottawa X-press)
“Intertwining original material with standard tunes is one of my favourite aspects of di Ghent’s work…di Ghent has a definitely refreshing sound. If the future of Jazz is Rita di Ghent, then the future sounds bright.” (The Vancouver Discorder)
“di Ghent’s versions of God Bless the Child and Bob Dylan’s Just Like a Woman are beautiful in their simplicity, her voice capturing determination and frailty as it dips and disappears…Signs of Spring in My Neighbourhood is a fantastic slice of life from her Dundsas/Sherbourne hood. She paints lyrical pictures with color and detachment, pulling you in and leaving you wondering…Who knows?—maybe one day they’ll make one of those Canadian Heritage commercials about the invention of Sprawl…” (Eye Magazine, Toronto)
AUSTRALIA:
What can I say... the girl is BRILLIANT!!! I have already made Rita my "Featured Artist of The Day" once and will most likely do it again in the near future. I'm crazy about her voice, her style, her arrangements, her own compositions, etc. This album is a gem. In fact, if there is a Standards Sessions Vol. 2, I'd love to receive it and put it on air immediately!!! Is there a chance that Rita will be coming to Australia in the near future? Keep those pipes working overtime kid... you've got a million dollars down your throat! It is obvious that I'm a Rita di Ghent fan, or do I have to spell it out any clearer?All the best, Harold Ellison "The Jazz Cafe" TripleU-FM Nowra, New South Wales, Australia [email protected]
Hello Rita from Sydney, Australia. Thank you for sampling me The Standards Sessions 1, The Birth of the Sprawl and A Christmas Groove. Since Ella passed on I have been waiting for someone to come along with the capacity to make music exciting. For my ears, you have accomplished this. I will add your CDs to my play lists. Dick Hughes Jazz Action Productions Australia
ARGENTINA:
Oh, my god, I don..t beleive what I heard when I retransmite your jazz material on my jazz radio program "JAZZ CAFE-FLAVOUR OF JAZZ" (FM Urquiza 91.7MHZ, monday to friday to 9PM to 12PM), a new fresh, sensual and swingin.. jazzlady. I like it The Birth Of Sprawl and Standards Session-Vol.1, good jazz in a fine and original voice. Billie Holiday,Carmen McRae, Sheila Jordan and others great jazz ladies are present in your sweet jazz voice. For me it is a great honour to have the possibility to retransmite your fine jazz material to the argentine audience of JAZZ CAFE. I wish that someday you will come to sing your Standards Sessions on my country Bs As, me and the jazz cafe audience love the way you sing jazz and love your compositions. Sincerely Carlos Fernandez Pacin Buenos Aires Argentina
INTERNATIONAL:
“Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Rita di Ghent and her band are booked for just about every major Canadian Jazz Festival this summer…di Ghent is a true original…Her composition $20 Ring is absolutely captivating. This vocalist is a coveted Canadian treasure.” (The Jazz Review)