Jazzing it up in the Capital at this festival

Blessing Chimanga’s music is marked by a quintessentially African sound that comes alive from the fusion of marimba and a range of instruments in the jazz tradition. His seven-piece band from Zimbabwe is set to take centre stage in the Capital tonight at the musical extravaganza Giants of Jazz Aftershock.

Having started as a trio, they have been playing together for seven years now and touring worldwide together for half a decade. “There’s definitely been a rise in the appreciation of African music, and we’re contributing to that rise. We have fond memories of every time that we performed in Delhi and Gurugram, and got exposed to different sets of audiences,” he says.

Social media has played a huge role in amplifying African music, and Blessing can’t agree more. “There’s power in seeing instruments live, and going through what the musical instrument does in a live setting,” adds Chimanga, whose group will perform in Gurugram on December 24.

Jazz lovers can also look forward to Ser o Dúo, who will take the stage on December 28 and 29 (in Gurugram and Delhi, respectively). The duo started out in 2017 in Valparaíso, Chile and has performed in Argentina, Colombia, India, Nepal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Arjun Sagar Gupta, founder, The Piano Man, says, “We have incredible musicians playing jazz on the Indian music scene, starting from musicians in their teens. It’s beautiful to see how the audience for the art form is growing, providing viability for more musicians to make a career with jazz.”

Catch it live

What: Giants of Jazz Aftershock

Where: Piano Man Jazz Club, B 6/7-22, Deer Park, Safdarjung Enclave and The Piano Man, 32nd Avenue, Sector 15, Gurugram

When: December 23-24 and 28-29

Timing: 8.30pm to 12.30am

Nearest Metro Station: Green Park and MG Road on Yellow Lin

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