Jazz Utsav 2008 November 27, 2008

Dewar's present Jazz Utsav 2008. Brought by Capitol Jazz & Blue Frog in association with Carlsberg & CNBC TV-18.

Featuring artists from around the world, Jazz Utsav 2008 will be a three-day event held at the Bandra amphitheatre. Taking stage are 'Francois Bourassa Quartet' from Canada, Henk Muetgeert and 'The Ploctones' from Netherlands, 'Thomas Siffling Trio' from Germany, the very famous and inimitable Harry Strojka from Austria and our very own home-grown 'The Louiz Banks Matrix Band' to name a few. Several other artists from Ireland, Poland etc too will be featured in this three-day extravaganza.

Another of the noted performers is Saskia Laroo from Netherlands. Among jazz aficionados, she is better known as Lady Miles Davis. Also to watch out for is 'Southern Jazz Quartet', an Indo-Dutch-German initiative. Specialising in traditional jazz, the electric violin-saxophone combo lends to their sound an inimitable character, melodic and groovy. Performing in Mumbai for the first time, this quartet is definitely one to watch out for. The three-day extravaganza also features 'Wojciech Konikiewicz' from Poland, 'Hot Club de Norvege' from Norway on the final day, bringing to a close the longest running Jazz festival outside the US.

Its been 30 years since the legendary Rudy Cotton played the first notes at Mumbais Rang Bhavan, notes that set off a great tradition, the tradition of a jazz festival in India . It was the beginning of the first Jazz Yatra. Thirty years on, the notes still reverberate albeit in a new avatar Jazz Utsav. Over the years, Jazz Utsav has seen some of the world's most revered and reputed musicians perform - Sonny Rollins, Trilok Gurtu, Stephan Grapelli, to name a few. This years Jazz Utsav, will be held in Mumbai. Let the music begin.