WITH HER melodic voice and heartfelt rendition, Guyanese songstress and flautist Ruth Osman-Rose reminds one of the fragility and beauty of the human condition. Internationally celebrated as an exciting new voice of jazz in the Caribbean, Ruth has been performing since childhood, and made a transition from the church stage to national and international events.
Only recently she performed on the Theatre Guild stage for the Stabroek Rotary initiative, ‘Jazz, Wine and Words’ and again at ‘An Evening of Music’  hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport as part of International Music Day activities.
Born August 3, 1979 in Georgetown, Ruth was part of the Children’s Choir in church, and sang her first solo when she was only about six years old.
When she was eleven, she moved with her parents Rashid, a  journalist, and Yvonne, an educator, to Dominica where she would spend the next six years. At the Dominica Grammar School, she studied voice, while she learnt to play the flute at the Kairi School of Music.

‘My father’s love for classical music and jazz influenced my taste in music. I grew up listening to the jazz greats, and I suppose, somewhere deep down inside, I wanted to be like them … To be able to express myself the way they did’

Returning to Guyana later, she went on to become the University of Guyana’s Best Graduating Student in Literature, which she followed up with a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts and Cultural Enterprise Management from University of the West Indies.
Why Jazz? is the question that readily comes to mind, and for Ruth, the answer is simple: 
“My father’s love for classical music and jazz influenced my taste in music. I grew up listening to the jazz greats, and I suppose, somewhere deep down inside, I wanted to be like them … To be able to express myself the way they did.”
Her mom, who was the church’s organist, also influenced her musical development. She recalls being fascinated by her father’s collection of books, music and classic movies. “By the time I was 12, I had gone through a lot of his library,” including the ones he forbade her to read, she admits.
She always knew that she wanted to sing and perform jazz, but didn’t know that she would make it a career, though, until about seven years ago.
“At some point, I’m not sure when, I grew into the knowledge that music (along with writing) is what I want to do with my life.”
Her interest in music is diverse, she says, and she loves so many pieces, it’s hard to pinpoint a favourite. But right now, she is fascinated by an African-American tenor named Rodrick Dixon, who she says has “the most amazing voice and stage presence.”  Other musical  influences include Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Lizz Wright and Jill Scott.
Since moving to Trinidad, she has also been listening to calypso, and grew to love the music of such icons like David Rudder, the Mighty Shadow and the late André Tanker.
Excited by the way people respond to her music when she’s home in Guyana, Ruth says  there is nothing more encouraging than having your own recognise and support what you’re doing. She recalled that the number of people who took time out to share their appreciation was one of the things that stood out for her during her last trip home.

Career
To date, Ruth has performed at the State House here in Guyana, CARICOM Heads of Government Meetings, the Tobago Jazz Festival, numerous gospel and jazz concerts, and of course, her two most recent Guyanese engagements.
“Music, for me, is a three-way conversation … A conversation between me, the other musicians, and the audience,” she says, noting that her favourite performances are usually relatively small, intimate ones where she can reach out to the audience and feel them responding to her.

‘Music, for me, is a three-way conversation … A conversation between me, the other musicians, and the audience’

“I’d like to make a positive difference in people’s lives; to give them hope, and help them love themselves and each other. That’s the inspiration behind my music.”
The artist, who currently resides in Trinidad, is working with a band that consists of a percussionist, violinist, bassist and guitarist. The guitarist, Marva Newton, who is also the bands musical director, accompanied her to Guyana to perform at ‘Jazz, Wine and Words’.
Ruth is currently working on building a repertoire of original pieces, and on developing a unique and authentic sound with the band.
She says they gig often in Trinidad (though one could always do with more work), and each performance is an opportunity to experiment and try something new.
A major challenge for her was finding a group of musicians who understood her vision and music, but she is grateful for the support group she now has, “particularly for Marva Newton and Erica Ashton, my manager.” There’s also the issue of gender roles. Being a woman in this field is not easy, she says, as women are “so often stereotyped; seen as sexual objects to be wooed or won.”
Ruth says she is lucky to be married to a man who has a great heart, and who understands what she wants to do with her music. They don’t have any children yet, but that could all change soon.
So, what’s ahead for Ruth?
“The future me will be doing exactly what I’m doing now, though on a more extensive scale: Performing, writing, maybe teaching … sharing my view of reality, the way I see us, with the world.”