All Jazzed Up

It doesn’t take a lot to get jazz guru Louiz Banks and musician Bob Belden to break into a cheerful rhythm. When they made music together for the first time,the result was the Grammy-nominated Miles From India. Now the two musicians are in the midst of producing a 9 track album titled Labyrinth,where Banks and Belden have entrusted Gino,Banks’ son with the drums. “Like the title,our music is going to be a maze of different sounds,” says Banks.

Belden and Banks,in their collaborations in the past have successfully created an energetic sound with Indian influences,something like Miles Davis meets the sitar. Gino,27,excited about this opportunity to work with his father and a legendary musician like Belden knows he risks being overshadowed by these heavyweights. “The fact that I play the drums helps. Were I to play the keyboard like my father,I would have bigger shoes to fill,” says Gino,who will leave for New York soon to work on the final arrangements of the album. “He keeps pushing me. I’m surprised by his energy. Thanks to him I am planning a solo piano album as well,” says Banks.

The album is primarily a blend of progressive jazz and some rock with a whiff of Indianness and inputs by saxophone players like George Brooks,Jesse Sheehan and Carl Clements. “Their presence makes the album extremely rich,music-wise. And the saxophone is the soul of jazz music,” says Banks.