MUMBAI: If this election season you are hearing too much about ‘Freedom of speech’, then for a change experience ‘Freedom of music’ on International Jazz Day, which is celebrated on April 30 as Jazz is all about the freedom to improvise musically.
While primarily this form of music originates in the West, this stream of music also took shape in India in the 1920s, majorly in Mumbai (then Bombay) and Kolkata (then Calcutta). Eight decades later, India too has its own reservoir of jazz talent. However, since the general perception about jazz is that it is a choice of elitist, the form is not known to be a mainstream. Yet, there are some renowned jazz musicians and bands, who have made a mark on the audience. We have listed them below:
Louis Banks
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Louis Banks is a legend and father of Jazz music, who is looked upto by the new talent. Following are the Jazz musicians who are making a mark in this field.
Also Read: There is a resurgence of jazz in India: Louis Banks
Vasundhara Vee
A popular name on the Jazz circuit, Vasundhara is known for R&B, Funk and most importantly the jazz music. A crusader of Independent music movement, Vasundhara’s voice is heard in Studio projects to Live performances like Jazz Ustav.
Samantha Edwards
She is a vocalist, music conductor, composer all rolled into one. She has performed solo, in duos, ensembles, choirs, and everything. Samantha Edwards also has her own quartet, ‘Samantha Edwards Take 4’. She has performed at many prestigious Jazz festivals like Jazz Yatra, Jazz Chamber concert among many others.
Mohini Dey
A true musician can’t be categorized and Mohini Dey is a fine example. She is India’s youngest Bass guitarist, who has been a part of the most well-known international jazz bands too. Her father, Sujoy Dey is a veteran of Jazz music sessions and Mohini and her sister Esani who is also a guitarist, have picked up from them. Mohini’s fan club includes names like A R Rahman. At 21, she has conquered the music world with her virtuosity.
Tarun Balani
He was touted as the ‘Point to the future of Jazz music’. Tarun is a drummer, percussionist and music educator. He released his first album, Sacred World, in 2012 and now released his new album Dharma by Berthold Records at the Jazz Ahead Festival.
Pradyumna Singh Manot
The 34-year-old Pradyumna is a Latin Jazz Pianist and also the director of NCPA Jazz Collective. Starting with Western Classical music, Pradymna found his calling in Latin Jazz. He has traveled across the world and performed at various platforms. He also has a music school named 12 keys.
The Crooners Collective
While there many solo performers who are also a part of some quartets or quintets, there is also an emerging band called The Crooners Collective, who perform old-school jazz and also some fusion with new sounds and ideas. A quintet comprises Pranav Sehgal on Vocal, Ashley Vaz on keys, Elton Fernandes on Saxophone, Mustafa Pasha on Bass and Vipul Malhotra on drums.
