If you love jazz, you will love them. If you don’t, you’ll still love them. One of France’s grooviest bands, Nojazz, performs in the city this weekend. Returning to Bengaluru as part of their album launch tour, Nojazz packs a high energy gig infused with funk, electro, hip-hop, and a few jazzy elements. Although they play traditional jazz instruments, the band loves to identify themselves as anything but a jazz outfit. Bringing together sounds as varied as contemporary dance music with jazz and funk, the band’s diverse sound is what inspired the name.
Making their way to Bengaluru after a “thrilling” show at the Udaipur World Music Festival, keyboard player and beat maker for the band Philippe Balatier says: “While Udaipur was amazing with a crazy audience, we are expecting the coming shows to only get better. We experienced some of Bengaluru’s music scene the last time we were here. We hope this trip will take us further.”
The band has a long-lasting connection with India. “It is always a pleasure to play outside our country, especially for an Indian audience, which reacts so well every time we are here,” Philippe says. “We feel accepted here and that, for us, makes India another home.”
Apart from Philippe, the band features Frédéric Lopez on drums, Philippe Sellam on saxophone and Jeffrey on lead vocals. They have more than just good memories of the country though. “We are working on a new song, in collaboration with an Indian artiste. We hope to learn more about India’s vibrant musical culture which is rich in melody and harmony,” says an excited Philippe. He adds: “During our stay here, we hope to not just learn from our experiences, but also share a bit of our own culture with everyone we meet.”
Playing mostly songs from their latest album Soul Stimulation , the band promises to mesmerise the audience. Formed in 2001, Nojazz loves to surprise their audiences as they explore music in all its forms.
The band ebbs with “emotion, passion, fun, love, dance and peace,” according to Philippe who goes on to say that at the heart of their music is pure energy that they love to pass on to their listeners. “We hope when people listen to us, the most important thing they take away is happiness. We want our audiences to fall in love with us.”
While they aspire to continue travelling the world, sharing their eclectic music with everyone they meet, closer to home, Philippe says the most exhilarating experience about being a band is actually being together. “We live and enjoy everything together and that, for us, is the most important factor. We also consider ourselves lucky enough to share our joy through our music all around the world.”
Get tripping on the band’s infectious grooves at bFlat, Indiranagar, on February 17 and bFlat, Brookefield Mall, on February 18. Tickets available on BookMyShow and venues. Call 41739250 or 41330078.
A sound map of the grooviest shows this weekend