From the last edition of the Jazz Festival held in Mumbai in 2023. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
AD Prithviraj has always disliked referring to the Madras Jazz Festival as a ‘small’ event. That’s why when a panel moderator in Mumbai called it a ’boutique festival’, he immediately decided to co-opt it. “It feels great,” says the festival’s founder-curator.
He says, “It’s hard to explain to people that only about 2,000 people attend the festival, but it’s a dedicated audience that intends to hear great jazz and its multitudes.”
Since 2011, ten editions of the Madras Jazz Festival have taken place in different parts of Chennai. He has exposed audiences to the harmonic implications of the saxophone, keys, trumpet and bass coming together. While John Coltrane and Nina Simone continue to rule jazz playlists on Spotify and YouTube, Eddy says the European style of experimental, genre-bending jazz is what he wants to bring to audiences here. Perhaps this is the only reason why sub-genres like Estonian indie-jazz-alt-pop will make their way into the Chennai vernacular this week.
Lonitsira | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The festival, to be held at the Alliance Française in Madras on December 8, will feature Estonian band Lonitsera, led by singer-songwriter Kaisa Kusalapuu; Czech singer, composer and instrumentalist Milly Jantkova; and the New York-based Sylvan Jore Trio featuring Hilai Govrin. They will each bring vivid sonic landscapes to their sets using instruments including flute, double bass, jazzy piano, guitar and percussion.
“Millie will be collaborating with long-term patron of the festival Maarten Visser (Chennai-based saxophonist and composer). I haven’t heard their set yet so this will be a surprise even for me. But overall, the festival will bring Euro-centric jazz and modern style jazz from New York,” he says.
playing bass notes
Milli Janatkova Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
AD is clear that Jazz and Chennai have been friends for a long time. He says the city has always had great music, musicians and audiences and adds that the crowds always filled the seats during jazz nights at the Unwind Center in the 1990s and 2000s. He says, when he championed the first edition in 2011, a group of 200 enthusiasts came to the Audi showroom in Nandanam to listen to the new Jazz and it brought a lot of excitement. Over the years, artists such as Louis Banks, Brian Mollie, Maarten Visser and Matt Littlewood have been frequent visitors to the festival. This enthusiasm for jazz continues to build in the city, which is why the organizing team decided to make the event ticket-based for the first time.
A photo of the 2018 performance. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Eddie grew up in a household that listened to all kinds of music, including funk and rock, but he really began his love of jazz when he was DJing at Taj Coromandel’s old bar, Fort St. George. “I’m a blues and death metal kind of guy. When this program came up, I took it because the pay was good. This is from 2006 and 2007. However, the real joy of the process was discovering different forms of jazz,” he says.
2018, Audience from Chennai. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
To a novice jazz listener, Eddie has difficulty recommending albums and bands. “You should listen to ‘Take Five’ by this band the Yellowjackets and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Actually, do you have a few minutes,” he asks. He takes out his phone, connects to a large Bluetooth speaker and plays ‘Ragabop’ by famous Indian guitarist Prasanna. “There is a lot of jazz talent in our country. It’s best to start here,” he says.
Madras Jazz Festival by Exodus and Unwind Center is at Alliance Française, Madras on 8th December. Gates open at 5pm. Tickets are priced at ₹999 on BookMyShow and Insider.
published – December 03, 2024 05:15 PM IST
