Three years ago, an engineer turned musician decided to open a club dedicated to Jazz. After spending a decade in coding, he thought it was time to pursue his love for the rest of his life. An idea fairly eccentric for a country that is not much acquainted with the genre.
“I was told it wouldn't last beyond two or three months. Getting to three years from that perspective is an interesting landmark because it shows that people underestimate the importance of art. We have built this amazing community of artistes and musicians,” says Arjun Sagar Gupta, the founder of Delhi's Jazz adda - The Piano Man Jazz Club. This month, the club completes three years of music and life. Through three years, some of the best Jazz musicians and artistes from India and outside were featured, including Malika Tirolien, Tam De Villiers, Yuichiro Tokunda, Bolly Jazz, Kitchensink, The CopyCats and Nik and Nat.
Gupta is quite the piano man himself. Growing up, he listened to music from all over the world, thanks to his father who travelled for work. “We were lucky enough to have gotten that exposure to global art, when the Internet wasn't what it is today. My brother gave me the CD by Louis Armstrong, which was a turning point. I had never imagined I would be in this space,” reminisces Gupta. His idea was to create a space that focused on the artiste as opposed to anything else. “We are happy that we survived, that people are showing interest in art and culture, and we are building this live database about artistes,” says Gupta.
The Piano Man held a three-day festival of music, celebrating their three-year journey. There were performances by Sin (gers) City on the first day, Dark Jazz with the Bodhisattwa Trio, which was an experimental Jazz fusion on the second day, with Bodhisattwa Ghosh, Premjit Dutta and Shonai. On the third day was Swinging with Sava Boyadzheiv Trio, a concert by Sava Boyadzheiv, a Bulgarian drummer, percussionist, timpanist sessions musician and others.
Money and music
But how has the evolution been in a country like India, which is replete with its own traditional art forms?
“With any form of art, the first thing is exposure. Otherwise, you don't have the ability to decide whether you like it or not. We have a very small segment of what is available out there in the world, which is being shoved down our throats perpetually through media. There is big money behind that music. We have time to assimilate, understand and appreciate it because we have a certain exposure to it. Saying that India does not have the ability to appreciate Jazz is not correct, precisely because we have not had the exposure. Whether the patrons come out of desire or curiosity, once they come here they are exposed to a specific culture, and they can decide whether they like it or not,” says Gupta.
There is also an apparent gap between shows of Indian arts and Western arts, essentially when it comes to tickets and pricing. Most classical music shows held are for free, even when they showcase stalwarts. On the other hand, Jazz, blues, ballet, etc have ticketed shows for the audience. “When we started off, there were essentially no ticketed shows. Then we began to charge for Friday and Saturday nights. Our rates are quite low because we want to be accessible to everyone. Classical arts in India have worked on patronage. Today the desire to be a patron has reduced, and in many ways become opportunistic. An artiste becomes huge, often because they have the facilities to be promoted properly and create a marketable product. The Indian government would put their money behind an Indian art form. For me, Indian art is art being played by an Indian artiste. It is unfair to say that just because one did not choose art that originated in this particular region, they are not an Indian artiste. In a market which has free shows readily available, it becomes harder to sell a ticketed show. The culture of paying for art is missing in India. It is important for people to know that they are patrons and not customers, they are facilitating by coming in and buying food and beverage, hence supporting the artiste. When you are growing as an artiste stage experience is invaluable. One needs to learn how to treat and perceive a stage. It is not just an elevated piece of wood,” adds Gupta.
Sava Boyadzheiv, who has spent over a decade in Delhi, says that a genre like Jazz requires a place designated to it because the essence of it lies in live concerts and audience interactions.
“To have a real club, a place for music is a great thing. Jazz musicians especially need that sort of a contact with the audience. Jazz is happening right now. Some of the best albums of Jazz music have emerged out of the live concerts and you need space to do this. For Piano Man, music comes first and then everything else. I have been to many places where musicians are merely there to entertain. Here they come to listen to us, which is a completely different concept, which is also the case with most Jazz clubs. It is not just educating the audience, but the musicians too, that we have to be at the top of our game,” he sums up.