 Jammin' till the jam is through..
The Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry has taken the initiative to revive the unique bandstand culture which was prevalent during the British era. The regimental tunes of the Bombay Police Band and Army Band were a hit with the masses and drew crowds from all over the city to witness performances at sunset.
To reignite this tradition, Kavita Sharma, Joint Director, BCCI; Indiatourism; Stuart D’Costa from the Mumbai-based jazz-rock band Something Relevant and event organisers Bombay Elektrik Project have joined forces. This marks the beginning of the revival of live band performances at the 9 bandstands in our island city.
The revival features theme-based live music played every Saturday, 5.30 pm onwards. So far, six bands have performed since the first Saturday on the 6th of Feb. The event is programmed to be 17 Saturdays long and May 29 and 30 will see the grand finale. The current venue is the Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hills.
“In May, the event will be shifted to the Amphitheatre at Kamala Nehru Park, which is nestled in a very scenic spot.” says Stuart, who is in charge of programming for the entire event. He reveals that the closing ceremony will have two stages and will also feature workshops on poetry, art and the like delivered by imminent personas.
In its maiden year (2007-08), traditional folk performances and dances from various states dominated the revival. “Last year, due to the blasts in Mumbai, the revival was cancelled as any kind of celebration would seem insensitive and incorrect”, says Stuart. He continues after a quick bout of silence, “This year, the focus is music of the youth”. He playfully recollects poi dancers performing in the crowd when STR jammed with the Mumbai Police Band on Feb 27. The genres at the bandstand revival span jazz, pop, fusion, world and Indian music.
A 5-saturday schedule on a poster titled Space Cadets is uploaded on Facebook and kept updated. Radio Mirchi, through its show ‘Band Banaao Jeeturaj ko Sunnao’, is aiding the band-selection process. Entry is free as the concept is to take quality music to any willing listener who wishes to indulge his/her sensibilities in this mix of nostalgia and novelty.
Varun Athreya
For information on the gigs, log on to
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=282032231375
Image 1 source: Shashank Kapur, shashankkapur.carbonmade.com
Image 3 source: www.flickr.com/photos/dannybirchall
Watch a video clip of EOL Trio, France here
Watch a video clip of STR and the Mumbai Police Band here
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