When asked, music enthusiasts world over struggle to define Jazz. Those in India falter likewise when describing the music that now boasts of a strong loyal following and can be heard in certain Bollywood oldies like “Eena Meena Deeka” or “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu”.
An exciting line-up of artists from across the world are now set to participate in the 30th anniversary celebrations of a festival of Jazz, a form of music famously described by author John Fordham as the “sound of the skipped heart-beat, the caught breath, the sudden smile.”
At the three-day festival “Jazz Utsav” beginning here October 31, giants of jazz from countries like Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Germany, US, Poland among others are set to participate.
This year’s lineup features Diego Amador Trio from Spain, Deborah J Carter Quartet from Netherlands, Francesco Cafiso Duo from Italy, Helge Lien and Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer from Norway, Arne Jansen Trio from Germany, Steve Davis Quartet and David Hazeltine Trio from US, High Definition Quartet from Poland. The Goa Collective is a participant from India.
“In India we have a huge pool of very gifted jazz artists and lots of festivals all over the country in Kolkata Bangalore Pune Delhi Goa etc,” says festival director Astri Ghosh.
Musicians from all over the word, including veterans like Sonny Rollins, Don Cherry, Stephane Grapelli, Abdullah Ibrahim, Trilok Gurtu, Larry Carlton, Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber, Wayne Krantz and Freddie Hubbard have performed at the festival in the previous years.
“The music that we do I call ‘Metropolitan Jazz,’ says Deborah from the Deborah J Carter Quartet. “It is music from a 21st century city where one can go to a Latin club on a Saturday night, cross the street to an R&B/jazz club, and then go a block over and experience some other kind of music.”
According to Ghosh, Jazz has been in India for over a 100 years. “Primarily it is a tradition in Goa for the musicians to go home and play some jazz. It became very popular and gradually moved into mainstream society. Now we have even in Delhi some 5 to 6 music schools that train in Jazz,” she says.
Among the participants at the festival is Amador, a self-taught musician from Spain, whose hands race down the keys of the piano, transforming it into a percussion instrument. He blends flamenco music with post-bop and avant-garde jazz.
Saxophonist Francesco Cafiso once a child prodigy whose sound has been described as a “gigantic, brilliant, wake-the-dead cry, and his fluency in hardcore bop proved how it is an ageless form of communication.”
Vocalist Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer from Norway has been described as having an unique vocal range that spans five octaves.
Berlin-based guitarist Arne Jansen has been described as a fiery exploration of the rich range of the electric guitar.
Capital Jazz, which organises the Jazz Utsav is managed by aficionados that know and love jazz music and has its President in Soli Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India. The group, has run the jazz festivals for over 30 years.
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