Mediascope’s CEO and TravelDine’s passionate chief executive shares his life mantra as he opens up to tell you about TravelDine x The Leela Jazz Nights, his journey with Jazz, and how the genre has stirred his soul.
Our favourite radio programme in my formative years was Binaca Hit Parade. That’s where I heard it first, the magic of Jazz — the voices of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald.
The music of Duke Ellington, Ray Brown, and Oscar Peterson, legends who composed, played, and sang tunes that will be popular forever. It made me an addict and, to this day, while I appreciate diverse music from across India and the world, nothing comes close to Jazz.
So, what’s Jazz got to do with TravelDine? Let me take you back to January 2020. I was on a business trip to Italy. It was a typical Milanese winter evening at my favourite local trattoria, Antonio di Antonio, where I ended up every night. Antonio had a limited menu catering to locals, the food was family style, pasta, meatballs, and such — wholesome, flavourful, filling. The magnet that got me there each night was Antonio’s after-dinner gig.
Last orders were eight pm and by nine pm, Antonio, the owner and chief-of-everything — chef/waiter/dishwasher — would settle himself on a chair with his clarinet, while his son Freddie played the conga along with friends on guitars. They played and sang old Jazz standards, Italian folk, encouraging all in the room, by then tiddly on wine and nightcaps, to join in. Mack the Knife was a house favourite reserved for the nightly encore. I would join in with cutlery-percussion and vocals. What an evening, every evening! Molto bene! Molto bene!
And then God turned the switch off. The next day, Italy declared Covid had rapidly spread and suddenly, everyone was wearing masks and looking worried. I rushed back to Mumbai and the rest is too dark to recollect. Twenty months passed and we were all yearning for life as it had been, for the thrill of travel, the buzz of restaurants, the sound of Jazz, to hug and be hugged.
We birthed TravelDine at the height of the pandemic, against all odds and amidst an avalanche of health advisories and depressing news, to remind us, and like-minded Indian consumers, of good times, those had and the many to come.
TravelDine is a platform for celebration, on which we share experiences and surprise the senses. The sound of Jazz has been a part of my life’s experience that I want to share with everyone who is passionate about music. And therefore, TravelDine Jazz Nights.
Jazz, like many other music genres, lifts the soul, makes you sing and dance as much as it sits you back and makes you want to think. Somewhat like life itself. I can’t wait to get back to Antonio di Antonio, with my family this time and sing Mack the Knife with all the gusto we can muster.
All of us have a story to tell, an anecdote to share. Do so and make your journey ours. Write to us at contact@traveldine.com.
Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto e ascolta Jazz! [Eat well, laugh often, love a lot, and listen to Jazz!]
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