Of course, jazz is changing. It's in its very nature to improvise, stay fluid. The genre has been around for more than a century. It's been playing in India for about as long too - in colonial Bombay and Calcutta, in 1950s hotel lounges, in Bollywood hits from practically every decade, in packed jazz festivals held since 1978, at posh Y2K parties and hip clubs that followed.
Much of it is familiar. Musicians still feed off each other, each instrumentalist playing their own rendition of a song, building on what they're hearing.
But across the country, younger musicians are bringing their love for their genre, and their training in other kinds of music, to create new sounds for new listeners.
In Delhi, Arjun Sagar Gupta is opening his third bar focussed on the genre. In Mumbai, drummer Gino Banks has launched monthly jazz sessions at Prithvi Theatre. In Bengaluru, Aditi Ramesh is incorporating her Carnatic roots into unusual jazz endeavours. In Kolkata, pianist Pradyumna Manot, aka Paddy, has introduced Latin Jazz to India with his ensemble.
Spend this weekend, and International Jazz Day (April 30), with the OG improv form. No one knows what's coming next, but it's a smooth ride, kind of like jazz itself.
Setting the stage Arjun Sagar Gupta
When he was about 14, Arjun Sagar Gupta heard Tony Bennett's I Love Being Here With You, on TV. Then, his brother gave him a Louis Armstrong CD, which changed his life. Gupta, 38, runs The Piano Man in Delhi and Gurugram, with a third jazz club coming up in Malviya Nagar, Delhi.
He's also managed a near-impossible feat: Getting Indian audiences to pay full attention to live music. At both clubs, which play two gigs every day, the venue has a Silent Song initiative. When a song is playing, everything else stops. The bar is shut, audiences are requested to maintain silence, the music gets all the attention.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 29, 2023 من Brunch.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 29, 2023 من Brunch.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
How To Pin Down A Scam
They pose as cops. They ask for OTPs. They lure you with bonuses. They're so smooth. Here's a cheat sheet to suss out a scam caller before it's too late
Sunny Leone
Entrepreneur, actor. @SunnyLeone
Going above and beyond
Marom specialises in nature photography. He started with macro photography, or capturing tiny subjects in extreme close-up, to make them look bigger.
Get cot in the act
Vivan Sundaram's 12 Bed Ward is sparse, simple, but haunting. Is this an abandoned hospital, a forgotten dorm, a bombed-out base or something more familiar?
In it for the long haul
Travelling gets better as you grow older. But less pressure and more funds bring with them aching bones and low energy. Here's how to cope
A whole different ball game
The kofta varies in name, taste and texture across continents. It's time India acknowledged its own contribution to the multiverse of meatballs
Opening acts
These young, new musicians are facing family pressure, juggling full-time jobs, and battling the rise of AI. They tell us what it's like to debut in 2024
Bring me the manager
Money won't conjure up a handbag that's out of stock. Angry calls will not get you off a waitlist. Don't be an entitled customer
Is there truth to this tale?
It's biopic season. It's also a good time to test what movies have learnt from true-life stories and from life itself
Mercury in the microwave
Heat wave? Wave back. On screen, summer looks gorgeous. These 10 films showcase the bright side of the season