Rick Maltese – Jazz Pianist, Composer, Songwriter

Rick Maltese

Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Toronto’s own Rick Maltese. Rick is a jazz pianist, composer, songwriter, and singer. In this episode, we chat about how he first got into jazz, and being a Canadian, that wasn’t an easy task! We discuss some of his early influences, including his dad, and some of the greats. I do dig into where he gained the confidence to learn to play an instrument as an early age. We talk about some of the different styles of piano playing and why he started playing The Beatles songs as jazz tunes! Next, I ask him about the various brands and types of pianos, and which are his favorites. Rick shares some of the reasons behind why he decided to write lyrics to accompany his music, as well as why he wrote them in a manner that advocates for social consciousness. Rick has fairly recently released 3 albums of new music with some of his friends. Rick Maltese and Friends Vol 1, 2, & 3 are out now and available just about everywhere. Volume 1 is actually released under The RGB Trio. The other members include George Koller, Ben Wittman, and Bill McBirnie. Rick is kind enough to let me play 2 songs from 2 different albums in this episode, and he explains in depth what each of them is about and why he felt the need to write them. Check out Rick’s website for more details on where the music can be found, and for any upcoming live dates