Love Jazz? Listen to Dinah Washington - Page 2

The early pioneers of Jazz in India are busy with their day jobs but live with a head full of memories and records.

In many ways, it's because of these pioneers that we have Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter take the stage before an electric Mumbai audience.

Legal ace Soli Sorabjee turned his personal passion for jazz into the Jazz Yatra.

The origins of the Jazz yata were in Mumbai in 1978. It took the yatra six years to come to Delhi. But the original jazz scene belonged to Calcutta.

"Jazz was a vibrant subculture during the war, due to the expat crowd where all bands have played," said Tapan Desai, member, Congo Square band.

Path breaking visits

Slowly, the scene shifted to Delhi and Mumbai with some path breaking visits. Like when Dave Brubeck came in 1957 to play in a lawn of Delhi University.

At that time Kuldeep Shankar was a student in Hindu Collge. A phatpatia ride brought him and a clutch of jazz lovers to soak in one of the most memorable jazz moments.

But by the early 90s, the yatra began to sputter out. Sponsors were disappearing. Local bands were learning jazz tricks but playing rock.

It was a different time, from the era when albums by John Coltrane were released simultaneously in India. When at least four restaurants in Delhi's Connaught Place played live jazz.

Today, in the indipop mix of urban India it may be hard to find traces of that era, except if you know where to look and who to ask.