In February this year, musicians began meeting at Alliance Francaise, Bengaluru for Café Jazz Sessions — a platform to connect with each other and audiences through jam sessions, lecture demonstrations and performances.
“The Cafe sessions were a meeting point for musicians to bond over jazz, perform and share their experiences. We’d also bring in Indian classical musicians to show the connection with jazz,” says Jagadeesh M R of the Bangalore School of Music, who helmed these sessions. The enthusiasm was contagious and as the sessions quickly grew populari, hosting an event on Jazz Day seemed the most natural progression for lovers of the genre.
As many as 11 bands will be part of the International Jazz Day Bengaluru Celebrations on April 29 and 30; most were already part of the Cafe sessions, though a few were invited, says Jagadeesh M R.
“I was looking out for such sessions in the city; it was a great place to see the people you look up to in action as well as to learn, interact and perform with others,” says Anand Murali, a city musician who was in the audience at the sessions, and will be performing on the piano at the Jazz Day event with Gautam David on the saxophone, Haripriya Narasimhan on the electric bass and Rohit P.S on the drums, as a quartet. “I am looking forward to the event as I am sure many collaborations will come out of it,” he adds.
According to Suvankar Ghosh, another Bengaluru-based musician, it is important for jazz players to meet others and improvise in real-time. “Unlike other genres, a jazz band usually doesn’t have fixed members. You find someone who speaks the same language of music and team up with them. Improv is a huge part of jazz — interacting with like-minded musicians as they play,” says Suvankar, who will be playing standards on the guitar with Jeoraj George on the drums for the first time at the event, alongside Joshua Costa on the piano.
Rohit PS on the drums at a MoonArra World Fusion event | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The event will be inaugurated by the Consul General of France Thierry Berthelot and will see some of the best-loved names in the city’s music scene sharing the stage with students from the Bangalore School of Music over two days. Heavy Breezin’, The IAMR Project and MoonArra World Fusion Ensemble will play on day one, apart from a stage production titled, ‘A Continent Called Jazz,’ complete with movement, audio visuals and narration conceptualised by Madhuri Jagadeesh.
The Rex Rozario Quintet and Gerard Machado Trio will be among the bands playing on April 30. West African musician Israel Thomas of Xperimental will also be performing at the event. “I believe the younger lot of musicians such as the Akshada Krishnan Trio and Vivek Santosh Trio will be the ones who will take jazz forward,” says Jagadeesh.
The International Jazz Day Bengaluru Celebrations presented by The Bangalore School of Music and MoonArra World Fusion will be held at the Prabhat KalaDwaraka auditorium inside Koramangala Club. Entry is free and passes are available at Alliance Francaise and Bangalore School of Music.
