Jazz is winning hearts once again, age no bar

There has been a massive revival of jazz across the globe and India is no exception. As musicians get exposed to worldwide influences, the demographics of jazz lovers has changed in the country
The rise of hip-hop has overshadowed most genres in the country, but jazz continues to be on an unexpected high. Earlier this month, Delhi hosted the third edition of the World Jazz Festival, featuring musicians from across the world, including the US, Thailand, Serbia, and South Kerala.Apart from large events like the blues festival in Mumbai and the Jazz Weekender in Delhi, held in February, most metro cities like Bengaluru and Kolkata have their own local jazz and blues gatherings.
“There has been a massive revival of jazz in the UK and worldwide,” says Roshan Netalkar, festival director of Echoes of Earth, the green festival that toured three Indian cities with British Nu Jazz band Cinematic Orchestra.
“Cinematic Orchestra would not classify itself under pure jazz, but as a beautiful amalgamation of jazz and electronic music, and this is really the sound of Echoes,” he says. Their 2022 lineup was also headlined by The Yussef Dayes Experience, another popular jazz outfit from the UK. Jazz and its many variations clearly are making a foothold in India.
Role of Fusion
Madhuri Jagadeesh, co-founder of MoonArra, a band that blends Indian classical, jazz, and world music, believes the experience of fusion between Indian elements has contributed to the popularity of jazz. “In the 1940s and 50s, during the golden era of jazz, many international musicians used to frequent India. But this also kind of made it an elitist genre, restricting a mass audience from frequenting such events,” she says.
But she believes this has changed. “Now, there are many younger, serious musicians. Separatism – the idea that Indian classical music and western music are two ideas – has slowly dissipated. This, along with the exposure and interactions they have with international artistes, has made Indian music lovers more open to jazz and its various alterations,” she says.
The shift in demographic
Arati Rao-Shetty, founder of one of Bengaluru’s jazz hubs, has first-hand observed this shift in demographics – a younger audience embracing jazz. “Around 10 to 12 years ago, India had a niche fan base for jazz. People knew of Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, but jazz was limited to big clubs and cities. The audience was largely 45 and older. But over the past 11 years, this demographic shift – not just in Bengaluru, but also in cities like Calcutta, Delhi, and Mumbai. Now, jazz is highly popular among people in their late 20s, and variations of the genre, like neo-soul, have an even younger fan base – probably 18 or older,” she says.