10 February,2010 10:42 AM IST | | Sheena Thomas
He might have performed with musical heavyweights like John McLaughlin and Eddie Henderson, composed over a thousand ad jingles, performed live all over the world and all that jazz, but for him, every project is as thrilling. With his Phir Mile Sur freshly out of the oven, jazz musician Louiz Banks has his hands full with six projects that he's working on simultaneously. CS finds out more:
Phir Mile Sur took us a good eight months to complete and we've received an overwhelming response for it. The track is a blend of tradition and modernity with Rashid Khan and Amjad Ali Khan featuring with the contemporary Bollywood stars like Salman and Priyanka Chopra. It is representative of the new India and the youth have loved it. The earlier number, Mile Sur, was conservative and simple in comparison.
With this out of the way, I'm busy with six different projects. I might be over-packing my schedule but that's what keeps my adrenalin pumping. The eternal love songs album is one of the upcoming projects that I am excited about. The fact that it could feature Andrea Bocelli, the famous Italian tenor, makes it even more special.
Do the disco
Jazz as a genre is picking up in India. It used to be really popular till the 70s because there wasn't any other form ofu00a0 music that the youth could groove to. Then the disco era hit us and rang the death knell for jazz. That's when I tried to adapt to the changing tastes by fusing disco with jazz. But just like people, music trends go through phases. The disco deewanagi started declining giving jazz a backdoor entry once again. The audience is now becoming increasingly receptive to jazz, though Bollywood still continues to rule the music scene. But having said that, I believe that among the junta too, there are discerning listeners who want to be exposed to different forms of music. We need more affordable outlets to promote jazz and support from the media too.
Fantastic fusion
But fusion is the way ahead. Out of the 10 concerts that I may do, eight would be fusion. I'm gearing up for the Montreal Jazz Fest that is coming up in July. We've formed a band called Nagabrahma that will be playing fusion jazz. When I'm performing abroad, I like to give the westerners a taste of their music before introducing something new to them. Once they realise that the guy can play jazz, that's when I bring in the Indian element.
Even though there is a serious dearth of jazz musicians in India, I am sure that my son Gino will carry the flag once I am gone. But as long as I am able to play, I'll keep plugging my favourite genre.
WHO: Louiz Banks
WHAT: Talking about this jazzy journey
WHERE: At his Santacruz residence
