Estonian pianist and composer Rahel Talts returns with Back and Forth, a vibrant new album exploring nostalgia, transformation, and emotional growth through seven original compositions. Featuring award-winning British guitarist Rob Luft, the album brings together an international quintet of rising jazz talents from Estonia, Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, and the UK. Back and Forth was released on November 28, 2025.
Composed over a year and a half following Talts’ move from Denmark to Lithuania, the music reflects a period of personal change—looking back at the past with affection while embracing the unknown of what lies ahead. Tracks like Pärnu, named after Talts’ seaside hometown in Estonia, weave together static rhythmic structures and evolving melodies to evoke memories of youth, return, and rediscovery. Naujas Skyrius (“New Chapter” in Lithuanian) speaks to fresh beginnings—filled with both excitement and uncertainty—while the joyful Jungle Party adds a danceable, Latin-inspired groove originally written for the quartet’s 2024 tour in Southeast Asia.
The Rahel Talts Quartet, formed in Odense in 2020, has toured extensively across Europe and Asia and performed at major festivals including Jazz Baltica, Jazzkaar, Jazz à la Petite France, and Copenhagen Jazz Festival. The group’s deep chemistry, developed over five years of collaboration, was elevated further when Talts invited Rob Luft to join them for a 2024 performance at Jazzkaar’s Winter Jazz edition in Tallinn. The musical connection was immediate. “It really felt like a missing piece,” Talts shares. “Rob’s magical guitar sound and melodic sense blended so naturally with the group—it brought a whole new dimension to the music.”
Recorded in Tallinn in November 2024 following a Baltic tour, Back and Forth captures the emotional and musical synergy of the ensemble in full bloom. The lineup includes Donatas Petreikis (saxophone), Mariusz Praśniewski (bass), Jesper Lørup Christensen (drums), and Rob Luft (guitar).
Known for her melodic, honest, and emotionally charged writing, Rahel Talts brings a distinctive voice to the European jazz scene—one shaped by tradition, openness, and cross-cultural curiosity. With previous releases including Power of Thought (2022), Greener Grass (2023) and New and Familiar (2025), and performances at festivals across the continent, she continues to build a powerful and authentic artistic identity. Her newest work, Back and Forth, is a musical snapshot of movement—between countries, between stages of life, and between memories and dreams.
Composed over a year and a half following Talts’ move from Denmark to Lithuania, the music reflects a period of personal change—looking back at the past with affection while embracing the unknown of what lies ahead. Tracks like Pärnu, named after Talts’ seaside hometown in Estonia, weave together static rhythmic structures and evolving melodies to evoke memories of youth, return, and rediscovery. Naujas Skyrius (“New Chapter” in Lithuanian) speaks to fresh beginnings—filled with both excitement and uncertainty—while the joyful Jungle Party adds a danceable, Latin-inspired groove originally written for the quartet’s 2024 tour in Southeast Asia.
The Rahel Talts Quartet, formed in Odense in 2020, has toured extensively across Europe and Asia and performed at major festivals including Jazz Baltica, Jazzkaar, Jazz à la Petite France, and Copenhagen Jazz Festival. The group’s deep chemistry, developed over five years of collaboration, was elevated further when Talts invited Rob Luft to join them for a 2024 performance at Jazzkaar’s Winter Jazz edition in Tallinn. The musical connection was immediate. “It really felt like a missing piece,” Talts shares. “Rob’s magical guitar sound and melodic sense blended so naturally with the group—it brought a whole new dimension to the music.”
Recorded in Tallinn in November 2024 following a Baltic tour, Back and Forth captures the emotional and musical synergy of the ensemble in full bloom. The lineup includes Donatas Petreikis (saxophone), Mariusz Praśniewski (bass), Jesper Lørup Christensen (drums), and Rob Luft (guitar).
Known for her melodic, honest, and emotionally charged writing, Rahel Talts brings a distinctive voice to the European jazz scene—one shaped by tradition, openness, and cross-cultural curiosity. With previous releases including Power of Thought (2022), Greener Grass (2023) and New and Familiar (2025), and performances at festivals across the continent, she continues to build a powerful and authentic artistic identity. Her newest work, Back and Forth, is a musical snapshot of movement—between countries, between stages of life, and between memories and dreams.
