The smoky singer

October 26, 2012 12:00 am | Updated 05:01 am IST

Chatline Jazz chanteuse Radha Thomas has been singing her song for a while now; with the launch of her new album, she’s set to go global in a new way, finds NEHA MUJUMDAR

At the recent concert to mark the launch of UNK , a jazz album, I am busy tapping my feet, leaning forward in my seat, smiling to myself in enjoyment.

A woman next to me has been staring for some time. I turn and smile, quizzically.

“You like this kind of music?” she says.

“Yes,” I say, but with an enthusiasm that says “Hell yes!”

She crinkles her nose. “I don't know how you can. This is boring.”

“What kind of music do you listen to?”

“I prefer hip-hop.”

Radha Thomas, the Bangalore-based leader and vocalist of UNK , is all too aware that for many, jazz isn’t necessarily easy listening. Writing in these pages in early 2011, in fact, she compared it to bitter gourd (Why Is Jazz Like Pavakkai?, January 12, 2011).

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

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