MUMBAI: Many musicians complain about the lack of interest the younger generation has when it comes to the genres they represent. The feeling is shared by quite a few Jazz musicians who have put their heart, soul and a huge part of their lives into making the genre popular in India.
Benny Sones, a jazz drummer, is of the opinion that institutions should come forward and push the genre as much as they can. Sones was part of the 5th Veda at Whistling Woods International (WWI), initiated by Subhash Ghai, were he interacted with music students who wanted to know more about Jazz and were previously never inclined towards the genre. Sones stated that students take less interest in this genre because pure Jazz is difficult to learn. “But I believe that if they learn Jazz they will understand the intricacies of music,” he stated.
Jones goes on to say that he has been trying his best to revive the pure form of Jazz through his acts in NCPA and other venues. “People are trying to keep it alive in the best possible way. We had clubs that only played Jazz at one point of time. The music played then was pure Jazz, unlike today,” Sones expressed.
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Yet another Jazz performer is Karim Ellaboudi, a child prodigy on piano and a skilled improvisational soloist, who plays music for the sheer love of it. “Jazz is not at all simple,” stated Ellaboudi who has worked with artistes like Vasundhara, Ranjit Barot and Trilok Gurtu. He also claims that he does not like to do commercial stuff.
Ellaboudi stated that to draw the young generation to the genre they should be educated about the benefits of the genre. “Learning music at a young age helps in developing brain,” said Ellaboudi, who took a hiatus from live music before coming back.
There are few institutions in India that promote Jazz. While institutes like True School of Music (TSM) have been promoting it, there are not many takers for the genre. Sones added, “Institutes like TSM are trying to teach students Jazz. But there are fewer takers there.”
While he enjoys other genres of music like rock, hip-hop and those that involve playing an instrument live, Sones is not a big dance music fan though. “Today, we see dance music has taken over across various platforms.” He has been associated with Jazz for over four decades, and believes that changing technology has created a new dimension of making music. Sones hopes the future of music will include all genres rather than just one or a handful of genres.
