It was in the foggy mists of Darjeeling that the foundations of a musical career were laid that would eventually become the bedrock of jazz in India. That’s where Louiz Banks’s family shifted while he was still only four years old after his father, George, packed up his trumpet in Calcutta when his mentor - the legendary Teddy Weatherford - passed away. The hill station proved to be a fertile playing ground for the young Banks to hone his musicality. He started off playing the trumpet, guitar and piano in his formative years. But his focus shifted entirely to the latter instrument when, one day, he chanced upon a tune by Oscar Peterson, the iconic American pianist. “Daddy, I want to play like this,” he told George, a man who - though a hard taskmaster - had taken it upon himself to guide his son into the world of music.

Louiz Banks in the olden days