If you aren’t already an enthusiast, here’s the lowdown on just what is behind the mesmerising mystique of Jazz.
What is the big deal about listening to Jazz? Is it not just a genre of music like Pop or Folk or even Classical music?
Actually, not.
Listening to Jazz is a unique experience. What the listener hears is a band which has license to play freely on a song or tune. While the structure of the piece is rehearsed, the space given to individual musicians to improvise is spontaneous and thus different each time it is played for an audience. This ‘interpretation’ of a song is a concept which is unique to Jazz. It is the anticipation of the unknown which creates excitement for the listener.
Unlike a pop song which is repeated almost verbatim each time it is performed, Jazz has this inbuilt sound of surprise. A Jazz performance is unique and seldom, if ever, repeated in the same way.
The NCPA International Jazz Festival in Mumbai
A three-day International Jazz Festival at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai in end-November showcased three well-known but diverse bands. The festival played to full houses on each day; the mixed audience came from different listening backgrounds but enjoyed the music in their diverse ways.
The opening day featured a 13-piece big band playing the music of the famous Jazz composer and bass player, Charles Mingus. The individual solos by various members of the band told stories within the plot represented by the composition.
A piano-led quintet with a flavour of the Caribbean regaled listeners with the sound of the calypso and reggae while the concluding day had an old-fashioned group fronted by a vocalist, playing music familiar to many in the audience.
A striking example of the freedom of Jazz expression came from a rendition at the festival of the ever popular Summertime. It was composed for the movie Porgy and Bess and is essentially a sad, introspective song. It has been sung and played in many different moods from an upbeat, lively version, a swinging number to a romantic ballad! Jazz allows this type of latitude and freedom. Each version is just as valid as any other. Essentially, this highlights the interpretation of music by Jazz musicians and is the charm of this music style.
TravelDine has taken the lead in introducing Jazz Nights in three cities in India, with multiple concerts at each venue in collaboration with the Leela Palaces Hotels and Resorts. In November, two concerts were staged in Delhi while three more concerts are set to wow audiences in Chennai and Bengaluru this month.
Good to know
The magic continues in Chennai (December 9 to 11) and Bengaluru (December 16 to 18), at the Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts.
Read more.
Expect groovy times ahead with these wizards of Latin Jazz!
TravelDine Jazz Nights and The Leela Palace Chennai all set to shake up the city’s live music scene