3 reasons why one must attend the Jazz India circuit this year.
a) Artists:
We’ve got an eclectic mix of artists from across the world including the UK, USA, Australia, France, and Goa’s very own Still waters! We’ve got underground wizards of the American jazz scene House of Waters collaborating with two of the finest musicians from our shores; Warren Mendonza from Blackstrat Blues and the inimitable Karsh Kale. Kaiit, a 20 year old singer songwriter from Australia has been widely covered in the Australian media as the next upcoming star from Down under. Worldservice project, a band that fuses jazz with punk rock have just released their new album this year, and Supergombo is a funk sensation from France. So 5 reasons already why you must attend this festival!
b) Contemporary Jazz: Audiences across the country have boxed in Jazz as a type of music that thrived in the 60’s and 70’s, and now only relate Jazz to the sounds that emanated during that era. Jazz, however, was never meant to be boxed in. It was always a genre of freedom, or expression, of collaborating and improvisation. It starts in the early 20th century and had the ability to evolve as the times change. Contrary to some opinion, Jazz not only exists today, but thrives today, and does so across the world! If you want to hear what ‘contemporary jazz’ sounds like, you have to visit this festival. We’re not harping on nostalgia here, we’re celebrating the present, and the celebration will come alive with some of the finest musicians of our era.
c) The Festival Experience: The music is our centrepiece, but our ambience amplifies our experience. The International Centre Goa is a gorgeous venue for the festival, convenient for many as it sits in Dona Paula, close to the city centre Panjim. We have some amazing select Alcohol partners, including Simba beer (have you tried their stout!?), Greater Than Gin, Big Banyan Wines and Teachers Golden Thistle Whiskey. You can buy unlimited packages for beer and cocktails, so a one time payment means you don’t have to touch your wallet when heading for your next drink. We also offer delegate tables for 4-6 people, with fantastic inclusions for all guests including food & liquor. You can also take a break from the music and visit our fabulous merch and food stalls.
You have some leading jazz names in your line up. What were the parameters you took into consideration while curating content did the festival?
Honestly, we love great jazz. Classic, contemporary, experimental, it doesn’t matter. If it has jazz influences, its eligible for our programming. What we do try to do is have an really interesting mix of different styles within this very broad genre. We don’t want any two bands to sound the same, and trust me, at this festival that will definitely not happen.
How important do you think it is for a festival like this to be promoting the same through digital platforms? How are you going to leverage the same?
Very very important of course, specially for a festival like this where finances are not easy.
What were some of the challenges you faced while putting together this festival before your first edition?
The main challenge is finance. While jazz is a serious up and coming genre in India with clubs opening across the country, its not identified by sponsors as a mass and marketable genre.
Brief us on what unique experiences you’re going to provide through this festival.
The music is really unique here, i would put that above any unique experience any other festival could offer. Apart from that, our unlimited beer and cocktail offers are exciting, or you could purchase a delegate table online for 4-6 people which includes loads of alcohol and food to satisfy you for the evening while having a comfortable seat and great view of the stage!
What’s your message to readers of the magazine
Score is awesome; it does our cultural landscape a service that’s much needed and we thank it for that. So the main messsage would be subscribe subscribe subscribe and pass on the word!
