Cocktails and Speaks Dreameasy Bar, in Gurgaon, was crowded with Jazz lovers who came to celebrate the International Jazz Day with a couple of drinks and some good live music, in the best Jazz tradition.
The place reminds one of Chicago of the 1920s, in a period when drinking alcohol was prohibited and the only way to enjoy good live music along with a drink was to visit the underground clubs. These were located very often under normal and legal cafés and accessible to only members. Often those animated evenings ended with the irruption of the police, an interruption that, luckily does not take place nowadays.
On the walls of the bar were black and white graphics depicting famous gangsters such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano along with some short phrases. One such was very interesting and placed just behind the performing musicians and reminded the customers that if they found the music too loud, it means they are too old.
The first group opened the proceedings with a great piece of the renowned American guitarist John Scofield and for all the performances they kept playing a modern version of Jazz with many Rock influences: the guitar effects and the perfect coordination between the members. All these combined to give the audience the opportunity to hear some very good live music. Several high quality Jazz pieces incorporated fusion with other styles such as R&B and Funk.
The drums and the guitars during the celebration brought out some rhythm and judging by head movements and finger snapping of the audience seemed to indicate enjoyment by them. Patrons kept walking in the club and, in the middle of the session, there was hardly space for the waiters to reach the tables.
High quality music, a sizeable crowed and a cheerful atmosphere contributed to render justice to the International Jazz Day, testifying once more that the genre is still popular and its lovers are rapidly increasing in the Capital.