Gig review/ World Jazz Festival

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Event: World Jazz Festival

Genre: Jazz

Details: St Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra, June 4 and 5

Rating: *** 1/2

In February 2020, a little over a month before the lockdown, the first edition of the World Jazz Festival was organised by Banyan Tree at Bandra's St Andrew's Auditorium. Amersfoort, the well-known Dutch jazz festival, helped in putting things together.

The event received a favorable response, and plans were to make it an annual affair. Naturally, things got delayed, and at the first conceivable opportunity, the organisers brought in Part 2 at the same venue on June 4 and 5. If Pune was the second city last time, it was Bengaluru this year.

To be honest, one had a few apprehensions before the event, moreso because four of the main performers have played in Mumbai before, with trumpeter Saskia Laroo and saxophonist Ben Van Den Dungen performing multiple times. But those fears were short-lived, once the music began, as the audience witnessed some fabulous musicianship. If Laroo's jazz-meets-hip-hop set was more or less a repeat, it was enjoyable too.

Both evenings began with an Indian act, with guitarist Prasanna and tabla player Ojas Adhiya on Day 1, and sitar exponent Ravi Chary joined by Anubrata Chatterjee the following day. Prasanna did John Lennon's 'Imagine' his way, and a few adaptations of John Coltrane tracks, besides his original 'Kalyani Connection'.

Barring a few short instrumental sections, the focus was on vocal jazz. After the festival's concept was explained by saxophonist and Amersfoort director Alexander Beets, the music took over with South African singer Jodi Fredericks and her Quartet presenting the stand-up number 'Cheesecake', Thelonious Monk's 'Round Midnight' and the Doris Day-popularised 'They Say It's Wonderful'.

Accompanied by Dutchman Den Dungen and his Quartet, American singer Deborah Carter sang the Marilyn Monroe-popularised 'My Heart Belongs To Daddy' and Professor Longhair's 'Big Chief'. Den Dungen's saxophone was classy all through. Prasanna and Adhiya joined in the Day 1 finale, with energetic solos.

After Chary's short performance on the second evening, Alexander Beets came on with his Quintet. Two vocalists were featured. Nathalie Schaap played the double bass too, and her solo number with only scat vocal and bass was one of the festival highlights. She also sang the George Gershwin standard 'Summertime', with Marius Beets on double bass.

Dutch vocalist Paul van Kessel then did a neat version of Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me To The Moon', Duke Ellington's 'Caravan' and a jazz-laced take on the Beatles hit 'A Hard Day's Night'. His stage presence and sonorous voice added to the ambience.

The concluding act Laroo, often called 'Lady Miles', blended jazz with rap presented by MC Complex. She paid tribute to late trumpeter Roy Hargrove on 'Groovin Hard', besides a dedication to Coltrane. Her husband, keyboardist Warren Byrd, did some improvisations. The crowd enjoyed and danced along, even though it wasn't too different from what one experienced two years ago.

The final jam session included the standard 'Sweet Georgia Brown' and Ellington's 'It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing'). Chary and Chatterjee then joined the musicians with some vocal percussion phrases. 

The World Jazz Festival is one of the two such events the city has hosted over the past three years - the other one being the NCPA International Jazz Festival. For Indian musicians, the International Jazz Day show was curated by Louiz Banks on April 30.

Mumbai has its own jazz audience, and since the time of the famous Jazz Yatra, there has always been a dedicated lot. The shift has been more towards vocal jazz though, and one hopes there is a more equal balance henceforth.

Captions

Top 1: Saxophonist Ben Van Den Dungen, vocalist Deborah Carter and guitarist Prasanna 

Top 2: Vocalist-bassist Nathalie Schaap

Bottom: Trumpeter Saskia Laroo and keyboardist Warren Byrd