Twitter
Advertisement

Faceless jazz musicians of Bollywood to come alive, on stage

The influence of jazz music on Bollywood – be it eena meena deeka or ajeeb dastan hai yeh or yeh hai Bombay meri jaan or many more from the 40s, 50s 60s and 70s – may not be a secret, but few very are aware that Indian jazz musicians from Goa, Mumbai and other parts of India collaborated with leading composers like Shankar Jaikishan, C Ramachander, RD Burman and Laxmikant Pyarelal to give us some timeless creations. These jazz musicians will come alive on stage on Sunday through Bombay Jazz, a play by Stagesmith Production.

Latest News
article-main
Denzil Smith (r) & Rhys Dsouza rehearse in Bandra
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The influence of jazz music on Bollywood – be it eena meena deeka or ajeeb dastan hai yeh or yeh hai Bombay meri jaan or many more from the 40s, 50s 60s and 70s – may not be a secret, but few very are aware that Indian jazz musicians from Goa, Mumbai and other parts of India collaborated with leading composers like Shankar Jaikishan, C Ramachander, RD Burman and Laxmikant Pyarelal to give us some timeless creations. These jazz musicians will come alive on stage on Sunday through Bombay Jazz, a play by Stagesmith Production.

Actor and producer Denzil Smith plays the protagonist who brings alive the character of the mentor – an amalgamation of jazz musicians Sebastian D'Souza, Chris Perry, Mickey Correa, Chic Chocolate (also known as Louis Armstrong of India) Frank Fernand and Anthony Gonsalves.

The introduction to the play also tells the audience that "much like the musicians who made Motown famous, many of these early Indian jazzmen died broken, destitute and forgotten, their stories lost".

"The play came about from a discussion I had with Ramu Ramanathan many years ago. Ramu also wrote this play. The research was provided by Naresh Fernandes, the author of Taj Mahal Foxtrot which is an anthology of jazz in the city. Ramu wanted more dope so I arranged for interviews with the children and grandchildren of some of the jazz musicians from that era. We were surprised with the number of archival photos we found. Each photo had 1,000 stories attached to it and it's an exhibition in itself," said Smith, who, as The Mentor, tutors Rhys D'Souza, The Student.

Rhys is the grandson of Sebastian Dsouza – one of the foremost arrangers and composers of many Bollywood songs. The play is set in contemporary time but keeps shifting between timelines.

Rhys, 26, was surprised at first listening to the jazz in old hindi songs. "I felt quite at home after that. My grandfather arranged music for Shankar Jaikishan and most of what he did was told to me by my father and his brother. The song mera naam chin chin chu surprised me the most," said Rhys, who is the pupil and plays the saxophone in the play. Both the characters are merged with audiovisuals that lend more context to the music and musicians that jazz, Bollywood and the city what it was.

With scenes depicting hotels like the Taj where jazz thrived those days, director Etienne Coutinho remembered the 26/11 attacks. "We were in Amsterdam performing this play when the siege at the Taj took place. We were worried and concerned. These places are precious to the play and we are preserving some of the history that has been destroyed."

Show details

When
: Sunday, February 22 at 7pm

Where: NCPA experimental theatre, Nariman Point

Tickets: Between Rs 300 and Rs 500
Through web: bookmyshow.com

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement