Jus’ Jazz Festival To Be Held In November

Jazz lovers have much to look forward to this November, when veteran jazz artists including American guitarist Russell Malone, Russian saxophonist Igor Butman, American vocalist Diane Witherspoon and many more will take stage in Mumbai and Delhi.

The festival is being organized by jazz enthusiasts Pradip Bhatia and ROLLING STONE INDIA columnist Sunil Sampat. “Jus’ Jazz celebrates jazz by getting traditional jazz artists to India,” says Bhatia, who was also a member of the organizing committee of JazzMatazz, the NCPA jazz festival that was held last year.

According to Bhatia, Jus’ Jazz festival will “celebrate old-world artists who are not just great musicians in their own right, but also great mentors who introduce their listeners to the roots of jazz while they are performing.” This reintroduction to jazz is the reason behind putting together the festival. “There will be no fusion, no contemporary stuff,” says Bhatia.

Post the festival, the organizers plan to bring down artists from across the world for shows that will be held in Mumbai and Delhi every quarter. “We plan to make the festival an annual property but we will try to keep bringing down famous jazz artists down through the year. The listeners’ interest in jazz will only increase if they have access to more music and this is the way to do it,” says Bhatia.

Full artist lineup and schedule for Mumbai:

November 3rd, 2012

Russell Malone Quartet featuring guitarist Russell Malone, drummer Willie Jones III, bassist Gerald Cannon and pianist Richard Germanson.

Igor Butman Sextet featuring saxophonist Igor Butman, vocalist Alevtina Polyakova, pianist Nikolay Levinovsky, bassist Vitaly Solomonov, drummer Eduard Zizak and trumpeter Alexander Berenson.

November 4th, 2012

New Orleans Modern Jazz Masters featuring guitarist Steve Masakowski, bassist Roland Guerin, trumpeter Ashlin Parker and drummer Johnny Vidacovich, guitarist Stephen Esneault.

Sylvia Cuenca Quintet featuring drummer Sylvia Cuenca, vocalist Dee Daniels, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, organist Jared Gold and guitarist David Stryker.

November 5th, 2012

Helen Sung Quartet featuring pianist Helen Sung, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Lewis Nash and saxophonist Seamus Blake.

Diane Witherspoon Quintet featuring bassist Teerawat Tunboot, saxophonist Krit Buranavitayawut, drummer Napat Piriyakitsarun and saxophonist Simon Cosgrove.

Jus’ Jazz will be held from November 2^nd to 4^th at Zorba the Buddha in New Delhi. Entry and Lineup TBA

In Mumbai, Jus’ Jaz will then be held from November 3^rd to 5^th at NCPA. A three-day pass is priced at Rs 800, Rs 1,000, Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 in various categories. Students can get a concessional pass for Rs 400.