For all that jazz in Mumbai

Luna Nudo

On November 11, when Luna Nudo launched its new music property, Jazz Legends, at The St Regis Mumbai, they were sold out. Offering a bay side view from the 37th floor, the venue set the mood for the urbane genre that's not easy to sample in the city. "Jazz and The St Regis go back a long way," says manager Siddharth Sathe. "Throughout the legendary jazz age, The St Regis New York played host to some of the finest musicians and connoisseurs in history. We want to build on this legacy." The idea is to create an atmosphere and make jazz a living, breathing art form. Their debut jazz night saw performances by Ash Chandler, Jessica Nicholas and Troupe, and LGBTQi icon and singer Sushant Divgikar well known as Rani Ko He Noor.

Where: Level 37, The St. Regis Mumbai, Lower Parel
Call: 61628422

AER

Ever since AER returned to the city's nightlife circuit in November 2018 after a year-long hiatus, the effort has been to position itself as a venue for not just electronica, but jazz evenings with a fresh roster of musical acts. Live at Aer is a gig where instrumentalists and two-piece bands perform every Thursday. "The evenings here are focused on jazz fusion coupled with electro or funk, by solo instrumentalists and musicians," says Ashwin Mathur, manager, Four Seasons, Mumbai.

Where: 1/136, 34th Floor, Dr E Moses Road, Worli
Call: 24818444

The BlueBop Cafe

If you want a taste of the golden era of jazz that ran from 1920 to the 1960s, the BlueBop Cafe is the place to go. Like most music enthusiasts, proprietor Amar Sukhi, believes we need more jazz in our lives. "I've grown up listening to it and, over the years, I've come to love and appreciate it. My sense is that we, in large part, become like the music we consume. Jazz and the blues are beautiful, intelligent and improvisational genres."

Where: 318, Linking Road, Khar West
Call: 8655192913

Bonobo

Nevil Timbadia, partner at Linking Road pub Bonobo, launched jazz nights three years ago when most restobars were busy with EDM. "It was a time when a lot of music festivals had shut down," he remembers. As a regular at jazz yatras, he was able to rope in artistes on a weekly basis. "The biggest challenge when putting up a live performance is the expenses involved in setting up the sound system. It's the reason why very few venues do it," he says. In the last few years, jazz has evolved in the city, he thinks. "It's more funk, hip and lyrical."