Since her early years Maia Baratashvili has been captivating audiences with her powerful and emotive voice. Trained in a classical music education at Tbilisi’s leading performing arts college, Maia moved into Jazz in 1995 as part of “David’s Jazz Soul Club” opened in Tbilisi her home town. Since then she has gone on to perform as a soloist with the Tbilisi Municipal Jazz Orchestra, the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra, and numerous jazz ensembles.
She has performed throughout Europe impressing crowds in Moscow with Igor Brill and his trio, at the International Jazz Event in the capital cities of Latvia and Lithuania with Jorn Skogheim, Norwegian composer and guitar player, and back in Tbilisi at the numerous International Jazz Festivals together with jazz greats like George Duke, Mikhail Okunne, where she successfully combined the capacities of featured guest and Master of Ceremony.
She has released four CDs and won several prizes for her works.
As one well-travelled expat - sometimes fondly known as “Father Georgia”- once remarked, “When Maya's diaphragm expands, the world shrinks”. Yes, I'm still going on about the Baratashvili diaphragm.
On Maya's latest album, “Maya”, she has perhaps mellowed slightly – gone more twilight.
In fact, this is a great album for all shades of evening. I recommend it as dinner-party music. So for example, first there are the slower, conversational, getting-in-the-mood numbers – the familiar How Deep is the Ocean and the warming-up, “Teach Me Tonight”. Next comes the foot-tapping Martini-working-its-magic, tipsy-frisky, “Deedles Blues”.
“The Nearness of You” is cheek-to-cheek; dusky and slinky. Maya rolls the notes like syrup on the tongue, and the ivories are caressed to sound like water droplets. “Old Country” is feelgood and funky-fast with the musicians really get into their stride: as someone once said, it can sometimes seem like jazz players are jamming in separate rooms, so intensely are they following their own groove. Then: it's upbeat dance time with “A Day in the Life of a Fool”. I have tested it out on a live audience and not even a three-month old failed to be unmoved by this one. But if you do manage to remain seated you won't be able to stay still. As Maya's voice flies, Gia Rakviashvili’s piano flows and flutters.
And so the album and the evening both pass in a flash, ending on a high note with “Chemistry for Two”.
This time, Maya has been brought to us in the Tbilisi heat by soulful bluesman, Tony O'Malley. A singer and songwriter in his own right, Tony described his role in the album as “making the tea and providing cream cakes, cookies and smoking facilities”. In other words, he made it happen. As a follow-up, expect (nay, demand) “Maya and O'Malley – The Duets”. The rich complementary combination of his gravelly tones and her satiny ones would be coffee with syrup. Please?
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