The beats kick in; the sway and the groove grow thicker in the club where two different generations take in some jazz and blues.
k_shridevi@dnaindia.netThe beats kick in; the sway and the groove grow thicker in the club where two different generations take in some jazz and blues.
The entry is jammed with an overflowing crowd. Musicians Ehsaan and Loy shed their Bollywood avatars, getting into a jam mode with guitarist Karl Peters and drummer Kurt Peters. This is the scene at a latest gig at Henry Tham, a suave club in town.
Ehsaan Noorani who put up a show along with friends calling the band Faces In the Dark says, “With networking sites like Facebook the reach is wider. We had sent out invitations to many people for our show.”
According to him, with more clubs mushrooming and live bands finding encouragement, the vibe is going back to the ‘70s. “Earlier there was only Jazz By the Bay, which as a club, pushed live music.”
The buzzing live scene has pushed a lot of youngsters to put bands together. Alisha Batth, a vocalist from the city belted out her favourites at the Hard Rock Café followed by another band called Boom Shankar. “In another two years a lot of artistes will begin performing live in the city. They are out of the woodwork,” says Dhruv Ghanekar, partner Blue Frog.
Every other restaurant/lounge/club has made live music a property. “College kids are doing it as hobby. They get a platform to perform. For professional musicians money is important and the money scene needs to change,” says musician Gary Lawyer adding that in the ’80s the venues were massive though they did not have so many options like today. “It was always at Rang Bhavan—the huge space where we gave a great live performance,” he adds.
There are also corporate shows where artistes make money, says Dhruv adding that listeners in India still haven’t developed the attitude of paying for a performance. “It will take a while to reach the level of what we see in Paris today. We still have to achieve that quality.”
For young bands like Something Relevant, the gig scene has just expanded. From Bandstand amphitheatre to Firangipani in Lokhandwala, the options are many. “When we were in college, Not Just Jazz By The Bay was the only venue for live music. It was a hobby for us. But now things have changed,” says Stuart from Something Relevant.
While Blue Frog pays anything between Rs 10, 000-50,000 for gigs, other places such as Henry Tham pay between Rs 10,000-30,000 depending upon the band.
Will Mumbai become the live music capital of the country? The renaissance seems to have begun.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}