For those of you who love jazz music, it is going to be an interesting weekend as there will be unique performances at the NCPA. Ahead of their performances, jazz pianists Thilo Wolf and Monty Alexander talk about all things jazz
Monty Alexander (left) and Thilo Wolf (right) will be performing for the first time in Mumbai at the National Centre for Performing Arts. Photo Courtesy: NCPA
If you are a lover of jazz music in Mumbai, then this weekend is going to be busy because the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), is hosting their International Jazz Festival 2022 from November 25 – 27 with performances by The Mingus Big Band, Jamaican jazz legend Monty Alexander and the Thilo Wolf Jazz Quartet with Johanna Iser. With tunes and melodies from all over the world, it promises to be an experience that may make you fall in love with jazz all over again.
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So, it is no surprise when Thilo Wolf and Monty Alexander, who have several accolades to their name, tell us that they are as excited as can be to perform in Mumbai for the first time ever. Having performed around the world for over many decades between them, somehow the power of the city seems to have eluded them but there’s always a first time. Wolf explains, “Everybody in the band is really excited and looking forward to perform at the festival. While I have been to the city as a tourist, I have never performed in Mumbai.”
Playing jazz by the bay
It is no different for Alexander, who has always been in awe of Indian music ever since he took the stage over 50 years age. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to visit Mumbai till now because of his busy touring schedule and performances around the world, however, he is all set to make up for it. “It feels really good because I have always known your country to receive American classical music or jazz, as some people call it. A large group of people are about the music and not just popular music but good American music,” shares the 78-year-old. This, he says, is because of a very interesting story that he narrates on how he met Pandit Ravi Shankar in Los Angeles in the 1960s.
He explains, “I met Ravi Shankar in the 60s and it was such a wonderful occasion because I went to see his concert in a small night club in Los Angeles. I got to realise the powerful impact of Indian classical music that had an impression on The Beatles and John McLaughlin. Even when I listen to Bollywood music, there are some of the rhythms that we hear in Jamaica because there are a lot of Indians in Jamaica.” He also reveals how the maestro told him how John Coltrane came to his house for lessons.
With their first ever performances in the city, the jazz musicians tell us they handpicked some of their most favourite pieces and hope that people here will like it as others around the globe. “We will be performing a mixture of the American song book, but we also have our own compositions and that is something very new. Our kind of music is swinging and good feeling jazz, and people will see we have fun while playing as it is very authentic,” explains Wolf.
While Wolf and his quartet will perform a mix of traditional and modern jazz, Alexander is excited to introduce Mumbaikars to a different kind of sound that involves his roots. “Since I am from Jamaica, my music is a combination of spirited pieces that have the jazz swinging instinct but also the Jamaican music. My music taps into my own heritage because I bring that into what I do. So, I will be performing some songs I have carefully picked from my very large repertoire of music but also my own compositions.”
Covid-19 pandemic and evolution of jazz
It is hard not to ask Wolf and Alexander how the Covid-19 pandemic turned out to be because like many other musicians, it did take a lot of creative people. While some of them worked on new music , others chose to use this time to reflect on their music and it was similar for the two visiting jazz musicians too. Incidentally, many of them like Alexander weren’t able to perform around the world, an activity he loves so much. However, he was happy sifting through all the music he has worked on or performed over many decades including the Montreux Jazz festival, the compilation of which is going to be his upcoming album.
In fact, it also gave him the opportunity to foray into singing, after all these years, with his album ‘Love Notes’ that was released earlier this year. It is certainly a refreshing sound that he hopes people will like. “After over 70-75 albums, I did something that I had never done in a formative way where I sang songs that I had heard from when I was growing up like Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte. So, instead of putting the American rhythmic approach, I put the Jamaican flavour to it,” he shares.
Like Alexander, even Wolf decided to make the most of the time on his hands indoors. He shares, “It was a really hard time because it was a mixture of feelings. While we were not happy to not perform, we got the time to be creative and develop new projects. At the same time, it is really hard to motivate yourself if you don’t have a deadline. So, we tried to motivate ourselves to work towards it.”
Interestingly, Wolf’s quartet will be performing with Johanna Iser, who is considered one of the rising stars in the jazz music world. While he has his own big band, and a quartet born from it, Isner’s addition has only been an icing on the cake over the last five years for the pianist. “I met Johanna Isner at a concert about seven years ago. After the concert, we went for some ice cream, and we talked to each other about our music. That’s when I saw what a genius she is because she is such a beautiful and intelligent singer and people have fun listening to her. It is a lot of fun to perform with her because there is so much musicality and inspiration that we give each other.”
So it doesn’t come as a surprise when he shares an interesting observation about jazz music over the last 30 years. He explains, “Around 30 years ago, I founded my big band, and the jazz quartet is the rhythm section of my big band. At that time, it was really hard to find musicians who would be able to play in a big band at a very high level. The education became better and better and today there are younger musicians who are very intelligent and very good at performing and are open-minded. They play modern and are still open to playing traditional jazz. This is important because jazz has so many phases and I play traditional jazz but am also interested to meet young musicians who play modern and have fresh ideas.” It certainly gives us an idea of what to expect not only from the German and his quartet but also The Mingus Big Band and Monty Alexander, with tunes from all over the world being brought to the city .
When :
November 25
The Mingus Big Band
November 26
Monty Alexander
November 27
The Thilo Wolf Quartet and Johanna Iser
Where: Tata Theatre
Time: 6:30 pm onwards
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