Jazz It Up

The jazz music scene in India clocked in its fever pitch in the ’30s and ’40s,a time when the charming swing genre found home in the clammy subcontinent,especially in the clubs and restaurants of Calcutta and Bombay. It flourished for some years before many things modern and pop took over and jazz became rather subterranean. Delhi,however,was nowhere in the vicinity when any of this happened,with only small occasional jazz music festivals attended by a select few. But in the past few years,Delhi’s jazz scene has been perked up considerably. One outfit that has immense contribution to it is Adil and Vasundhara. After over three years of creating new sounds,putting out music that spans jazz,fusion,R n B,blues and gospel,Vasundhara Vidalur and her bandmate Adil Manuel are out with their debut album.

Titled Ampersand,the 10-track album,like many first albums,is autobiographical. “Our personal music histories were so different that the result of its fusion was new,refreshing and enriching,” says Manuel. Vidalur adds,“The inspiration is our city life as Adil and I grew up in an urban family where all the rituals and traditions were Indian but our first language was English. These are philosophies of a typical Indian city and being an independent artiste — within society and at the margins of a music industry that is Bollywood-dominated.”

The album that was recorded in Yash Raj studio last year opens with 15 Nights to Dawn — a song that talks of a writer’s block. It begins with eccentrically pumping piano melody before Vidalur’s voice soars and the drums kick in. This is followed by Pinocchio Times,a song about what it’s like to be an indie artiste,a bluesy track Dog Days and One Winged Goose that “mocks language in a world of instant messaging.” An interesting track is Refuge,which talks about displacement and settlements. “I grew up near Chittaranjan Park,which used to be called EPDP (East Pakistan Displaced Persons Colony). My maternal grandmother lived through Partition. Her stories form the main context for Refuge,” says Vidalur.

The duo has collaborated with a host of musicians on the album,including jazz legend Louiz Banks apart from Ranjit Barot,Zubin Balaporia,Sanjay Divecha and Loy Mendonca. “We were really excited about working with them,” says Manuel. The duo agrees that jazz and jazz-influenced music is now on the rise in India. “We are witnessing the reactions of people who had never heard this kind of music before,” says Vidalur.

The two believe that the “hybridity” of their lives reflects in their music. “And in doing so,we are being as honest about our roots,” says Vidalur.