At 75, ace jazz keyboardist Louiz Banks loves to experiment. For quite some time, he has been toying with the idea of getting some of India’s most talented pianists on a common platform. His dream will finally materialise on Saturday on the occasion of Mumbai Piano Day.
Banks is rather relaxed at his Santa Cruz residence. “Earlier this year, my son, Gino, organised the Drum Day,” he says. “Its success really inspired me to put this together. My other son, Neil, took over the coordination and promotion.”
Banks’ concert will feature an array of genres. “We have 13 pianists,” he explains. “There is a mix of well-known and upcoming musicians, who will play different styles ranging from classical to jazz to progressive rock and electronica. Many pieces will use the grand piano, but there shall be keyboards too. NCPA has two fantastic grand pianos: a Steinway and a Yamaha.”
While Banks will play jazz, Merlin D’Souza will render classical compositions and Stephen Devassy will perform fusion rock. The other musicians include Karim Ellaboudi (jazz), Sangeet Haldipur (fusion), Indrajit ‘Tubby’ Sharma (funk-jazz), Anurag Naidu (jazz) and 15-year-old prodigy Kashyap Iyengar (progressive rock). And finally, Sonam Lodhi, Priya Fernandes, Nadine Crasto and Nakul Jogdeo, who will play a piece together.
Banks is also thrilled to discover 10-year-old talent, Lydian Nadhaswaram, who will present Nikolai Rimmsky-Korsakov’s ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’. “I saw him on YouTube, and he was just amazing,” says the keyboardist.
A three-hour programme has been scheduled, with each musician getting a maximum of 15 minutes. Apart from solo pieces, some compositions will feature a rhythm section, with Gino on the drums. “The plan is to make this an annual event,” says Banks. “This time, we couldn’t include some top players as they had other commitments, but we will invite them next time.”
After Mumbai Piano Day, Banks will continue to be busy with other projects. “I want to work more with young people,” he says. “They offer something different on stage, and I get some of my energy being with them.” Besides playing with the Louiz Banks Matrixx Trio, featuring Gino and bassist Sheldon D’Silva, the keyboardist is looking forward to more shows with his other group, Guitar Synergy. “It has these two amazing guitarists, Rhythm Shaw and Kush Upadhyay. Both have very different styles, so I decided to write tunes keeping that in mind. Besides me and Gino, this group has Mohini Dey on bass. Her rock, jazz and fusion style makes her the perfect choice.”
Banks is also looking forward to the India tour of Cross Currents, a band floated by tabla wizard Ustad Zakir Hussain. “We had shows in North America last year. The Indian section had Zakir, me, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan and guitarist Sanjay Divecha. It also featured jazz maestros Dave Holland on bass, Chris Potter on saxophone, and Eric Harland and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. The India tour is being planned early next year, and Gino may join us too.”
These days, Banks spends a lot of time writing new music. “Besides Matrixx and Guitar Synergy, there is the fusion band Ganga Shakti, which features me, Gino, vocalist Sharmistha Chatterjee, Carnatic violinist Finix Ramdas and bassist Mohini Dey,” he says. Despite being part of different musical projects, Banks says that all three groups have completely contrasting styles. It’s a challenge to write such diverse pieces. “But it keeps me busy, and keeps me thinking,” he says.
In the little time Banks has that’s not devoted to music, the keyboardist shifts to his other passion: painting. “It refreshes me. I plan to hold an exhibition one day,” says the musician. “I have had only one before, and this time I want to display my new work. Whether it is music or art, I have one motto – keep it going.”
That credo has clearly helped Banks throughout his career.
The author is a freelance music writer
Mumbai Piano Daywill be held at the Tata Theatre, NCPA. Tickets are priced between Rs. 300 to Rs. 1,120.
