25 October,2023 07:59 AM IST | Mumbai | Devashish Kamble
Kolkata-born bassist Avishek Dey plays at a previous concert
A Frenchman, an Englishman and an American walk into a bar. To find out what happens next, you will have to head down to Bonobo Bar in Bandra where Jazzeando, a multi-national Latin jazz collective, the brainchild of French pianist and percussionist Emmanuel Simons is set to perform their inaugural concert, an ode to the unexplored niche genre of Afro-Cuban Latin jazz. Simons, whose passion for the unique style of music reflects in his vision behind putting together the collective, shares, "Jazz, Latin or otherwise, feeds a different need, in terms of musical aesthetics and emotions, freedom and improvisation.
Saxophonist Mark Hartsuch
For that, it is irreplaceable, and here to stay. The urge to perform a genre of music, which is almost never heard, never performed in India is what sparked the idea of Jazzeando." The collective is a diverse assembly of British pianist Clement Rooney, American saxophonist Mark Hartsuch, Shivang Kapadia, a Versova-based drummer and Avishek Dey, a bassist from Kolkata brought together by Simons who leads the band.
Avishek Dey, Simons' long-time collaborator and a trained jazz guitarist gives us a peek into the journey of the formation of the collective, "I was collaborating with Emmanuel in 2012 when we started brainstorming to build a Latin jazz collective that would uphold the orthodox rules intricacies of the age-old genre. It was hard to find musicians who practised the art in its authentic form at the time," he shares. He tells us that the collective will explore styles like cha-cha, mambo, and Calypso among others that call for trained and disciplined musicians. "When it comes to Latin jazz, the bass lines can get challenging but that is what makes our music so peculiar," he reveals.
Pianist Clement Rooney plays the keyboard at a performance
If you, like the writer, were quick to assume that the genre, native to a land from across continents might not be what Indian listeners are accustomed to, Shivang Kapadia believes otherwise. "Cuban jazz is very rhythmic, owing to the rhythms that lay the foundation for its songs. The music we play is essentially dance music.
Indian listeners, who love to shake a leg shouldn't find it very hard to relate to," remarks Kapadia. Dey seconds this opinion as he shares that when he plays a few songs from the genre at other gigs, Indians receive the music overwhelmingly well and dance along to the tunes.
Drummer Shivang Kapadia. PIC COURTESY/SIDDHARTH NAIR
"The Latin influence is huge right now in pop and rap. However, Latin jazz is still a part of the genre jazz, which is not listened to by the average consumer. I never thought there would be the interest to perform it live in India, which is why I'm looking forward to it," remarks Mark Hartsuch, a renowned saxophonist who was roped in by Simons for his passion project. Hartsuch is also recognised for recording wind sections for artistes like AR Rahman and Pritam when he is not performing with MaMoGi, a fusion progressive rock band he formed in 2021.
Emmanuel Simons
On: October 25; 10 pm
At: Bonobo, second floor, Kenilworth Plaza, off Linking Road, Bandra West.
Log on to: @bonobobandra
What is Latin Jazz?
Latin jazz is a label for a vast repertoire of music, encompassing all kinds of Jazz music that is blended with Caribbean, Central and/or South American music. Afro-Cuban Latin-jazz, to be precise, includes powerful cross-rhythms and traditional patterns of Cuban music. Its refined harmonies and virtuosic improvisations of North-American Jazz music, result in a compelling genre both very grounded and sophisticated at the same time.
