Jazz for the soul

It’s always nice to see local efforts that aim to help independent musicians. And with this very intention of promoting quality music in the City, the second edition of Whitefield Jazz Friday was recently held at Herbs and Spices, Whitefield.

It was a packed evening with a concert by the ‘Whitefield Jazz Quintet’, with all the tables occupied by music lovers who had come to enjoy listening to some smooth jazz and to soak in the charming ambience.

Explaining the concept behind the event series, Jagadeesh MR, guitarist of popular band ‘Moonarra’, said, “Whitefield Jazz Fridays is a unique initiative to showcase and promote jazz bands and musicians, especially in Whitefield.

Being a jazz musician myself, I feel that it is important to keep the spirit of jazz and live music alive. In a city and locality that can easily be termed as a ‘global hub’ and is a melting pot of so many different cultures, Indian and international jazz performances add to the diversity. The event will be held on one Friday every month.”

For the ‘Whitefield Jazz Quintet’, it was great to see a full house with such an appreciative audience.

Comprising of Jagadeesh on nylon acoustic guitar, Bharat Nair on nylon acoustic guitar, Imraan Jamal on drums and Joshua Lance on bass, the audience enjoyed a heady combination of jazz tunes, classic melodies and even a couple of all-time movie themes that were thrown in for fun. 

Harsha Shivakumar, an architect, attended the evening with his wife Sanchali.

The couple was clearly having an enjoyable Friday and they said, “It was a wonderful, eclectic mix of music in a very peaceful ambience. The right word for the experience would be sublime!”

They added that it was thoroughly enjoyable to listen to the band’s renditions of songs like ‘Tequila’, Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take 5’ and Michael Jackson’s classic ‘The Girl is Mine’.

Heike Biebl Walther, a German national who was there with her family, added, “The music was truly relaxing and the evening in general was very nice. It’s nice to see such local talents being given this platform to perform.”