There are those who love blues and there are those who love jazz. What if we can put the two together and witness a historic music festival that will blend the two epic genres into one massive music celebration for the record!
Come Sunday and Bengaluru’s music lovers are in for a musical treat of epic proportions as Indigo 91.9 will host the largest jazz and blues festival in the city at Indigo and Blues. It will be held at Hotel Royal Orchid on Old Airport Road.
Into its fourth edition, the festival will see international and Indian musicians play some spectacular music from the world of jazz and blues. Headlining the event will be the legendary Passakorn Morasilpin Quintet.
They will be joined by Jazz Junction, UNK (The Radha Thomas Ensemble), Moonarra, Blues Power and many more. MetroPlus catches up with a few of the artistes and gives a lowdown on the event.
Thailand’s Passakorn, who will be in Bengaluru for the first time with his band, is visibly excited. “It’s going to be a one-of-a-kind experience for jazz and blues lovers. This festival is the perfect tribute to these genres and there’s going to be so much love in the air. If you’re one who loves good music, this is the place to be.”
On what he’s bringing to the show, the legendary saxophone player says it will be a showcase of jazz with a touch of Thai. “This will be a cultural exchange of jazz from my home country that I am sure people in India will love.” He adds that at the heart of his music is always bringing something new to the stage.
While he plays with Thai traditional instruments along with the roots music of four different regions of Thailand, Passakorn often integrates it with his own style of music. “I always look to incorporate new elements that I encounter around me as long as it connects with me. I’m sure this performance in Bengaluru will be one that will give me a lot to work on.” He goes on to sum up: “Indian music is very dear to my heart and has fascinated me for decades. I hope to take back a rich cultural and musical experience from this visit."
Bass guitarist Colin D’Cruz, the founder of Jazz Junction and Blues Power, readily agrees that the festival is the place to be. “The radio station itself has been playing our kind of music for years now. It’s the right organisation to host an event like this with live international music. This is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.” On his set list for the event, the artiste says he’ll showcase his blues band and jazz band. “Blues Power will be doing a lot of funky and rhythmic blues originals. The band features two iconic guitarists from Goa – Herman Abreo and Elvis Lobo. So it’s going to be a fiery act with a lot of rapport with the audience. Frontman Herman, who sings, plays guitar and blues harp, has an amazing stage presence so we are looking forward to put up a good show.” Jazz Junction is what promises to a thoroughly interesting listen. “This jazz ensemble is a floating member band. This is the first time those who will feature in this concert are playing together as a band. Every concert has featured different artistes. Hence, the sound of the band changes as each member comes in with their own input. This edition will see two international artistes – Russian singer Olga Andreeva and Grammy Award winning drummer from Italy Matteo Fraboni. The band will also feature Bengaluru’s own celebrity guitarist and jazz exponent Gerard Machado and Goa-based keyboardist Jason Quadros. Each will be bringing their unique, signature repertoire and making this concert one that will be thoroughly exciting!”Colin points out that the festival will be all about the vibe of live music. “Nothing comes close to the magic of creating music in front of an audience.” And it’s events like this that have a higher calling towards redeeming the live music scene in the country. “Right now it’s going downhill, across the world. Even international artistes, who used to usually do 200-300 shows a year, are now doing 15-20 shows. With such a drastic change in the live music scenario, concerts like this keep live music alive.” On the music of the festival, Colin says while blues will bring the fire to the stage, for many of the artistes there, jazz is their first love. “We’ve all had an eclectic journey, experimenting with a lot of music, but we’ve always returned to jazz.” He sums up perfectly with this message: “Continue patronising live music concerts. It’s the real deal. Don’t miss this concert! You won’t regret it. And if you do miss it, catch us on Indigo 91.9!” Check the jazz and blues extravaganza live on August 28 at Hotel Royal Orchid, Old Airport Road. Visit www.indigoandblues.com for details.
