Mumbai gets jazzed up

Twice as niceThanks to a happy coincidence Ustad Zakir Hussain is the biggest draw at this years edition of the annual International Jazz Day celebrations at the NCPA The tabla maestro is usually abroad at this time of the year But this summer he is in Mumbai to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Ustad Allarakha Khan and he performed at the Abbaji Festival yesterday held to mark his legendary fathers pathbreaking contribution to Indian classical music Tonight Hussain will take the stage again mdash this time with citybred stalwarts including pianist Louiz Banks and guitarist Sanjay Divecha mdash and play a set that falls under the genre of jazz fusionNeil Banks the shows producer tells us Well have a longer slot for him as compared to the other musicians since a lot of people are coming mainly to watch Zakir Hussain play So the second half of the event will mostly have him on stage and we cut down on two acts just to accommodate that kind of time frameIsheeta ChakrvartyBanks adds that another distinguishing feature of this years edition is the inclusion of a bunch of relatively younger musicians They include Vinay Kaushal wholl play tracks from a funk jazz album he released recently and Rahul Wadhwani wholl perform a short piano set Then theres Isheeta Chakrvarty and her band mdash comprising Rohan Ganguli Clement Rooney Sambit Chatterjee and Raghuraman Ramasubramanian mdash who will play an original list of songs that like Hussains gig also fall under the jazz fusion bracket We ask Chakravarty how she feels about sharing the same stage as the maestro and she tells us Oh my godThats how I feel Its of course an honour to be in the same space as him to begin with But when dreams like this come true theres also a bit of fear involved so theres a mix of nervousness and excitement which in our books are understandable emotions given the fact that her band will play right before Hussain takes the NCPA stage a second time in two days thanks to the fortunate coincidenceUstad Zakir HussainTime 7 pm to 10 pmAt National Centre for the Performing Arts NCPA Marg Nariman PointLog on to bookmyshowcomEntry Rs 300 onwardsGetting back to the rootsYoull be shortchanging yourself if you approach jazz music only through an American prism Yes the genre did originate in New Orleans at the turn of the last century But since then many influences from across the world have seeped in making it like a packet of MampMs where each sweet is a different colour even though the core flavour is the same Now a gig at Lower Parel will showcase some of these styles with a lineup of four actsThe Many Roots Ensemble performs at a SoBo venueThe Adil Manuel Collective for example will play a jazz fusion set Ahora Flamenco on the other hand will bring a taste of Spain to the proceedings And while Da Trio will stick to American jazz standards by the likes of Chick Correa and Wayne Shorter The Many Roots Ensemble will spice things up with a set of originals that mdash as the bands name suggests mdash have their roots in a variety of sources such as folk disco and reggae We will also have a bunch of guest artistes performing with us who will add their own original music informs Subid Khan the outfits guitaristTime 930 pm onwardsAt FLEA Bazaar Cafe first floor Trade View Building Oasis Complex PB Marg Lower ParelLog on to insiderinEntry Rs 1000 with full coverLets talk about saxOne of the ways in which a person can view jazz music is to see it as a conversation between different instruments The drums rattle off something The guitar adds two bits to that The saxophone then chimes in with a sensual voice and so on and so forth That being the case an ability to improvise becomes a key quality that the musicians need to possess given the genres freeflowing natureRosen GonsalvesAnd Rosen Gonsalves will display just that at a gig in a Lower Parel restaurant where the saxophonist will play a completely impromptu set along with guitarist Vernon MisquitaI usually perform with just one other person who is different almost every time And for this gig Vernon and I will meet straight at the venue without having practised together Gonsalves says about a concert that will essentially involve a twosided conversation between a wind and string instrumentTime 7 pm onwardsAt TYGR Level 1 Palladium Mall Pedestrian Walkway Lower ParelCall 9136921735 to RSVP making a reservation at the restaurant is mandatoryFreeCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates