Gig Review: NCPA’s Hollywood Night (Jazz Concert)

This was a most welcome rarity! A night of live jazz with performers on stage playing to a live audience! The venue was the Experimental Theatre at the NCPA in Mumbai on February 25th, where complete COVID protocol was in place.

Vocalist Komal Kuwadekar and her band played a happy, cheerful set of jazz. She was accompanied by a band of seasoned jazz musicians. Veteran drummer Adrian D’Souza, arguably one of the best in the business, slick tenor saxophonist Ryan Sadri, pianist Niranjan Joshi and Gaurav Gupta on bass completed the ensemble.

Komal has been a regular performer in Mumbai, and it was good to see her singing a collection of well-known, popular songs from Hollywood movies. The feel-good factor prevailed through the set where the audience, returning to the experience of live jazz went home a happy lot.

An upbeat Komal started with “Bare Necessities” from Jungle Book, the evergreen “Someday My Prince Will Come” from Snow White and dramatic themes from The Godfather and the Bond film Diamonds are Forever.

Sadri’s solos added a sophisticated touch and Joshi showed us why he is regarded highly in Mumbai jazz circles. D’Souza added a touch of class to the proceedings, as he usually does whenever he plays drums.

The second set comprised of classics like “Moon River,” “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friends” – made famous by Marilyn Monroe, “The Lady is a Tramp” and “Staying Alive,” among others. The audience asked for and got an encore.

May we continue to have many more live concerts – jazz or otherwise and may we return to post-COVID normalcy. The world has suffered enough these past two years.

Sunil Sampat is a jazz critic and Contributing Editor of Rolling Stone India. Write to Sunil at jazzwala@gmail.com