Bengaluru to mark Jazz Day with multi-venue fest

In the line-up are free concerts, jam sessions and interactive events

With over 10 performances across five venues over five days, Bengaluru is gearing up for one of its most expansive International Jazz Day celebrations yet. The event is organised by Bangalore School of Music (BSM), in association with Alliance Française Bangalore and Goethe-Institut.

The line-up includes concerts, jam sessions, lecture demonstrations and interactive events.

The festival opens on April 24 at Goethe-Institut in Indiranagar with performances by Can’t Quit The Blues, 22 Avenue, Purple Mints and Cameo Trio. On April 25, BSM will host a showcase featuring young jazz students, the BSM Jazz Orchestra and the Deep Blue Brass Ensemble.

Alliance Française Bangalore will host a packed afternoon on April 26, featuring vocalist Radha Thomas and her jazz quartet, Aman Mahajan’s REFUGE project, the Rubina Robinson Quartet, Karthik Mani Group, MoonArra, SoulTrane Trio and Congo Jazz Trio, among others.

The final two days shift focus to interactive formats. On April 29 at BIC, participants will engage with jazz as a form of resistance by composing a blues piece based on prompts.

On April 30 at the Science Gallery, under the theme “jazz as cooking”, a session will guide participants to write poetry or prose around food, tying into the gallery’s ongoing ‘Calorie’ exhibition.

Jagadeesh M R, director, BSM, said the intent is to make audiences active participants. “The last few days offer something unique. Getting people to write and engage directly with jazz adds a fun, interactive element,” he noted.

Reflecting on the city’s jazz scene, drummer and konnakol artist Karthik Mani noted its evolution. “Jazz was at its peak between the 1970s and 1990s, with live music across clubs. Today, it has blended with other forms, with collaborations across genres and geographies. Pure jazz still exists, but it has taken new shapes,” he said.

Haripriya Narasimhan of the SoulTrane Trio said the event was instrumental in bringing her group together. “The collaborative spirit of jazz is what makes it so wholesome,” she said. The festival offers a chance to engage with jazz in varied forms across the city.

April 24-30. Across multiple venues. Entry free. For details, call 4128 5017.