For all you jazz fans in the city, there is some good news! You will not have to wait for the Delhi International Jazz Festival next year to enjoy the music, for Austrian musicians Judith Reiter and Julia Schreitl of the band JuJu will be performing jazz at the Spanish Cultural Centre here on Friday. Julia plays the saxophone and Judith plays the viola.
The name of the band also holds a special meaning for the young artists. “In certain African and Caribbean cultures, ‘juju’ is a powerful spirit , a mystical source of energy. It is exactly this magical power that springs out of our music,” the young artists told The Hindu .
However, they are excited and a little nervous about their first performance in India. “ I am not well acquainted with the taste of the audience here,” said Judith .
“Our music is not like the regular jazz that people are familiar with here. It is influenced by World Music and Classical Music. Also, the way that we play the instruments make our performance really interesting and different. It has more of a European feel to it,” said the musicians .
An evening before the performance, the artists rehearsed with children from the band ‘Mozart Choir of India’ of the Austrian Cultural Forum, New Delhi. The band was founded at the initiative of Austrian Embassy, the president and artistic director of the Vienna Boy’s Choir, Gerald Wirth and the late Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar.
After their performance in Delhi, Judith and Julia will perform in Mumbai and Goa.
