Toronto Pianist and Composer Rick Maltese Releases New Single “Just Like an Angel,” a Stirring Call for Kindness
Toronto pianist, composer, and songwriter Rick Maltese has released “Just Like an Angel,” a warm and melody-forward single that turns a simple idea into something quietly powerful: that the smallest acts of human kindness can change a life. Drawn from his album ‘Rick Maltese & Friends Vol 2,’ the song arrives as a gentle reminder of what connects us, carried by Maltese’s lyrical writing and the easy chemistry of the musicians around him.
The message sits right at the heart of the lyrics. “Just a smile, just a word, just a look or an open door, can save a soul from wanting more,” Maltese sings, before landing on the line that gives the song its title: “Even when you don’t have much to share, you’re just like an angel when you show you care.” He has described the song as a musical reminder that generosity costs little and means everything, and that compassion can ripple outward in ways we never see, an idea he likens to a butterfly effect of small gestures.
That theme carries real weight at a moment when goodwill can feel in short supply, and it offers journalists a timely hook. Maltese wrote the song as a counterpoint to a world where kindness toward those most in need too often goes missing, framing music itself as a small act of care. The result is a song with a clear conscience and an open hand, one that invites listeners to consider the difference a single thoughtful moment can make.
The recording brings together a trio with deep musical pedigree. Maltese is joined by bassist George Koller, a National Jazz Award Bassist of the Year whose credits span more than 1,600 albums and collaborations with Peter Gabriel, Loreena McKennitt, Holly Cole, and many more, and by drummer Ben Wittman, a composer and producer who has recorded with Sting, Paul Simon, and Rosanne Cash and who frequently collaborates with his Grammy-nominated wife, Laila Biali. Rounding out the circle is internationally celebrated jazz and Latin flute specialist Bill McBirnie, personally selected by Sir James Galway to serve as his Resident Jazz Flute Specialist.
The sessions took place at Kuhl Muzik in Toronto, where the players found an instant shorthand and an atmosphere Maltese remembers as pure joy, full of spontaneous group decisions and seamless camaraderie. Ben Wittman and George Koller share a long history together, having backed powerhouse vocalists including Holly Cole and Measha Brueggergosman, and that familiarity gives the track its relaxed, conversational feel. Even the studio’s Bechstein grand piano carries history for Maltese, tracing back to his days performing at Musideum in the storied artists’ hub at 401 Richmond West.
Maltese brings decades of experience to everything he records. An accomplished pianist, arranger, and music director whose repertoire moves through classical, jazz, blues, pop, world, and folk, he has served as a musical director and conductor for musical theatre and choir settings and was once Musical Director at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel. He writes in the tradition of the great melody composers, and his structured approach reflects a lifelong love of writers like J.S. Bach, an influence he is now developing further in a planned classical work with the working title ‘Cantata for Peace.’
With “Just Like an Angel,” Rick Maltese offers a song built to last, equal parts craft and heart, and a reminder that the way forward often begins with a single kind gesture.
Hi, Rick! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Welcome to my world. I am excited to be sharing my music, original music, much of it recently taken off the shelf. If you have heard me sing, consider yourself among the few, because until last year, you could only find me playing piano solo or accompanying other singers. I’ve been playing as a soloist and accompanist forever. Me singing is not new but getting paid for it is. You can catch me at my weekly Oakville gig on Thursdays singing at the XII Old Fashioned restaurant singing rat pack songs and playing on a great sounding upright piano. I’m there 3 nights a week but Friday and Saturday I accompany a couple of regulars, Summer Mortimer and Mackenzie Arromba.
“Just Like an Angel” is built around the idea that a smile, a kind word, or an open door can change someone’s life. Was there a specific moment or person that inspired you to write about kindness in such a direct way?
It’s mostly by interacting with children and seniors that I’ve learned from. They both teach us by how they react to us or each other. Put them together and inevitably they both benefit. I play for seniors and ironically I do not interact nearly as much with children but I know they can be misled and harmed by seeing what became of children growing into adults. We were all children once. We all have scars and I’ve seen how some people stop growing because of the scars.
The song feels almost countercultural in today’s climate, where outrage often gets more attention than compassion. Did you see this song as a response to the world around you?
I have seen how young people around the world have faced traumatic events, separation, or witnessing atrocities and losing one or both parents. So many examples: the immigrant crisis, the wars, conflicts in several countries, child labour etc. Children are everyone’s future so helping them overcome their personal tragedies will eventually help shape the world for the better.
You’ve worked across classical, jazz, blues, pop, world, and folk music. What did each of those traditions teach you about communicating emotion through melody?
My heart has evolved. In the beginning my attention was drawn to color like the difference between the Beatles and Rolling Stones or between a small group like the Ramsey Lewis Trio and a larger group of instruments like Duke Ellington’s, music. But the harmony inspired me too. The Beatles were my favourite as a child. The chord progressions, the classical arrangements by George Martin. Looking back I can pinpoint what it really was but at the time it just felt amazing. Motown had the grooves and the soul. Billy Holiday from jazz, Barbara Streisand from pop, Dusty Springfield from pop and Burt Bacharach, Blues and Rock singers like Eric Burden and the animals, Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, Led Zeppelin the Doors, Grand Funk, Moody Blues, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. There was Peter, Paul and Mary, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan sharing folk vibes. So many amazing influences in the early days melody was more important than words at the time. Next I became obsessed with Beethoven. My high school teacher kept the sonatas on his desk and it just sat there week after week untouched until one day I asked the teacher if I could borrow it. By then I had mostly learned to read music from the Beatles sheet music. I had early classical training but not by practicing on a real piano, just on cardboard. I had no idea about tempos and probably would horrify classical enthusiasts but I was thrilled to read through his music.
The musicians on this recording have played with everyone from Sting and Paul Simon to Peter Gabriel and Loreena McKennitt. What happened in the studio that convinced you this group was bringing something special to the song?
I think the ease I felt with the mix and the sense I had that the rest of them felt the same way. When I listen to the recording I realize that the Bechstein inspired me to play better than I can at home. I used different voicing, arpeggiating and using the different registers. A nice moment occurred when I wondered what to do with the flute solo based on the verses it didn’t feel right. So George Koller said why not repeat the structure of the prechorus twice and I said that was the perfect answer and I did not hesitate. Bill McBirnie the master improviser always knew what to do.