There is no dearth of bands from Namma Bengaluru making the music capital of the country proud. The city’s renowned world jazz Indian Classical fusion ensemble MoonArra, which recently returned from performances at the TanJazz Festival in Morocco, is now heading to the land of Mozart, Vienna, Austria, to stake the Bengaluru music flag on the European soundscape.
MoonArra comprises composer, founder and guitarist Jagadeesh M.R., vocalist, songwriter, and co-founder Madhuri Jagadeesh, composer, vocalist and slide guitar exponent Prakash Sontakke and drummer and percussionist Karthik Subramanya Mani.
The tour will see the eclectic band perform in four concerts spread across four days from July 21 to 25. Jagadeesh says, “We land on the 21st at, play at an art centre called Vienna AU. The next day, we will conduct a workshop on Indian classical ragas and rhythms for kids and young musicians at a school. The same evening we are playing at another art centre. On 23rd, we are going on a tour of Vienna city and playing at a club celebrating world music week in the evening. On 24th we will perform an outdoor concert in a park. On July 25, madhuri and I carry on to Dublin where will we meet a few musician friends and do a gig there. Meanwhile Karthik heads to Germany to the Meinl Cymbal Factory, which will endorse him and Prakash comes back to India.”
While the quartet has individually performed across Europe before, this is the band’s maiden tour of Europe.
“It has been a long time coming. The shows will see a mix of material from the old and the upcoming new album as well as some of Prakash’s tunes,” points out Jagadeesh. The MoonArra tour has been arranged by Austrian troupe Hotel Palindrone as an exchange tour.
He goes on to say that the audience there are very open. “Especially since we are a synthesis of Indian classical with jazz and world music, it will be a new listening experience for them. We are looking forward to showcase our Indian elements touch in our music.”
Following the TanJazz fest, the composer says it is always good to connect with a new audience. “It is also fun to travel as a group and there’s always something to learn when we jam with new musicians.”
Jagadeesh adds that they will obviously bring back a musical exchange that will influence the way Moonarra sounds when it returns. “When we played at TanJazz, the Gnawa musicians brought in a completely new focus to the music since they are very rooted in the sacred, spiritual mysticism while we are into exploration.” “See you on the other side,” he sums up.
