International Jazz Day: Collectors, musicians and artists on their love for jazz and its growth in India

Sustained by loveWE started the Pune Jazz and Blues Club back in the early 2000s and I took over in 2010 The objective was to make people aware of jazz through listening sessions recordings and musical concerts It was never to charge money We still have free entry for listening sessions We have Mehdi Niroomand of Shisha Cafeacute in Pune who loves and wants to promote jazz music Most jazz clubs are sustained by the love for the genre They are not money spinners not even in the USA Despite its growth it remains a niche genre But it is growing and has a steady following here We started out with listening sessions but slowly added video content and sessions on jazz history to complement live performancesAshwin Panemangalore cofounder Pune Jazz and Blues ClubCasual and funMehrotrarsquos artwork for the cover Jazz Yatra 1988While I was in Dubai in the rsquo70s I would often buy records My mother was trained in Hindustani classical and I grew up around music One of the first albums that switched me to jazz was The Weather Report It was a gamechanger Later I was part of the team with Jazz Yatra started by Niranjan Zaveri We were lucky to hear Dizzy Gillespie perform So when I was approached to create the covers for the album I was more than happy The challenge was that you could not pick a theme because the performers were so diverse So I would focus on a single instrument or performer and paint in my styleI still attend jazz concerts in Mumbai The only thing I miss is that it has become clinical Jazz should be casual and fun At most shows these days you are seated It does not have the same feelJaideep Mehrotra artist and jazz lover MumbaiThe artist with his collection of records Pics CourtesyJaideep MehrotracomFor the passionate listenerRecords from Sujit Sinharsquos collectionI started collecting music in 1987 when I was in my teens It started with pop and classical rock but I realised many of them had jazz influences The first album was Miles Davisrsquo Kind Of Blue That was different and very interestingOne of my particular interests has been the subgenre of British Jazz The trigger for me was the music of Amancio DrsquoSilva He was a guitarist from Goa who moved to England and created a record with the Caribbeanorigin saxophonist Joe Harriott The album was called Hum Dono That caught my attention Slowly I discovered other names in the genre British jazz is very distinct and is a melting pot of influences from India the Caribbean and the subcontinentBengaluru has a rich heritage of jazz culture Recently Windmills Craftworks in Whitefield hosted several jazz musicians But the genre is still one for passionate listeners Despite the growing interest of youngsters in records and collections it is not a popular genre among listenersSujit K Sinha records collector BengaluruSujit K SinhaShifting interestsMy love for jazz dates back to school I was always fascinated by the improvisational aspect of the genre It also helped that I was trained in both Western and Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical in fact has more in common with jazz and helped to sharpen my instincts furtherWhile I have only been travelling as a performer recently I can tell that Mumbai has a more aware jazz listener They are exposed to diverse music Delhi is growing that culture especially with The Piano Man Jazz Club But I can tell you that there is a definite audience though niche The marker for me is the wedding season I was surprised when friends told me about a growing request for commercial jazz at Indian weddings Now even if they are asking for Michael Bubleacute or Frank Sinatra at an Indian wedding I would take it as a win It shows a shift in patternMeera Desai bassist and vocalist MumbaiGigs to catch Quadrophonic Catch the quartet of Sanjay Divecha Prayaag Baruah Rhythm Shaw and Srinjay Banerjee team up with Louiz Banks for a rare performanceON April 28 11 amAT Prithvi Theatre Juhu Church Road JuhuLOG ON TO prithvitheatreorgCOST Rs 500 Jazz and cocktails Schubert Vaz Anand Vaity William Fernandes and Steve Francis put up a special celebration of jazz with this concert by The Bombay Jazz ClubON April 30 6 pm onwardsAT The Irish House Phoenix Mall Senapati Bapat Marg Lower ParelLOG ON TO inbookmyshowcomCOST Rs 499 Celebrate on the big stage The 13th edition of the International Jazz Day takes stage with Louiz Banks bringing together a range of artistes from Adrian DrsquoSouza and Gary Lawyer to Emmanuel Simon and Omkar DhumalON April 30 7 pmAT Tata Theatre NCPA Nariman PointLOG ON TOinbookmyshowcomCOST Rs 944 onwards Guitar on live Rhythm Shaw will showcase his virtuoso guitar skills in a special jazz session at this Bandra venueON April 30 10 pmAT Bonobo Kenilworth Plaza off Linking Road Bandra WestFREE