Swing it! Informal gigs, online forums bringing younger crowds to jazz

On International Jazz Day (April 30), city music schools share with Metrolife how the genre is becoming popular with younger people. 

The Bangalore School of Music, R T Nagar, has formed a jazz orchestra, which includes students aged 10 to 14. M R Jagadeesh, head of the jazz and contemporary department at the school, says: “Jazz is a highly creative form of music that requires specific skills. Most people with a background in Western classical or pop music become interested in jazz.”

The school hosts Cafe Jazz Sessions, which features younger musicians from across the city. The school’s Jazz Day programme, previously a one-day event, was held over six days this time. There were multiple performances, lecture-demonstrations, and workshops explaining the nuances of jazz.

Santosh Baynes, founder of Fingersmith’s Garage in Dodda Banaswadi, points out that the genre has got a boost because of “an increasing interest in more complex forms of music”. “In
my school, students between 10 and 25 years of age show interest in jazz. Back in 2018, we would see only 2-3 students taking up jazz exams (ABRSM or Trinity College); now 20-25 students are attempting them. The number of students who want to learn and practice jazz has increased by 8-10 times in the last few years,” he observes.

Vinay Kavi, founder of Krescendo Music School, R R Nagar, teaches Western classical music, jazz, blues, and pop to young students. “Jazz offers creativity and innovation, attracting many students,” he says. 

Kavi notes that almost 25% of the 50 annual new admissions he received “now want to learn jazz to perform at parties”. He has observed a 40% increase in interest among youngsters over the last five years. 

Milton Lance, founder of The Music School Bangalore, Shanti Nagar, shares that students learning drums, saxophone, or piano often request to be taught jazz pieces. “Students as young as 12 to those in their 40s have expressed interest,” he says.

Ananth Kumar, a music teacher at a city school, conducts private lessons in contemporary genres like blues, jazz, and funk. “An increase in events like those conducted by Banyan Tree and Cafe Jazz Sessions by BSM has contributed to a surge in interest among students, as jazz is receiving at least 50% more visibility nowadays,” he says.

“Youngsters find the genre’s complexity and freedom to improvise and express themselves particularly attractive,” he adds.

Influences

Baynes has observed that among his 8- to 16-year-old students, interest in jazz leans more towards Latin and
percussive influences rather than lounge or cocktail piano music. “While I often learn about new jazz works through peers who’ve heard a new string ensemble, young students often share fast riffs they’ve heard in video games or movies,” he says. 

Jagadeesh adds that YouTube and online music platforms have made the genre more accessible to youngsters.