In 1978, Jazz India chose Calcutta to host their first national-level JazzFest. Decades later, JazzFest continues to be an integral part of Calcutta’s heritage and cultural ties. In hindsight, jazz has been a veritable cultural pride for Calcutta and its connoisseurs of music since the 1960s. The era of Louiz Banks and Carlton Kitto existed in the initial days of JazzFest and that time is priceless for the jazz enthusiasts of Calcutta. JazzFest Kolkata returned after the Covid-19 hiatus and what a comeback it was. The music festival lasted from December 8 to December 10 at the Dalhousie Institute and witnessed outstanding performances from nine bands that had roots in nine countries.
Wojtek Justyna TreeOh
All That Jazz
The Ron Cha Trio opened JazzFest Kolkata 2023. Ronojit Chaliha on the keyboard, Sonic Shori on the guitar and Dhir Mody on the drums impressed the crowd as they played their original numbers. Founder of the band, Chaliha popularly known as Ron Cha said, “It’s great to be back after 10 years. I was just 15 the last time I performed at JazzFest. The crowd at Dalhousie Institute is equally supportive and engaging.” This was the first time Shori and Mody came together for a performance. Wojtek Justyna Tree Oh stood as a true example of diversity as they were based in the Netherlands and belonged from countries like Austria, Poland and more. The band has Wojtek Justyna on the lead guitar, bass player Daniel Lottersberger, drummer Alex Bernath and Diogo Carvalho on percussion and synths. Depicting the prevalence of jazz in Goa, Hamsafar, presented the vibrant culture of the Goan streets. Lead guitarist Elvis Lobo was complemented by the rhythmic mastery of “Goa’s hottest drummer”, Bosco D’Souza. Its founder Victor Netesov, the accomplished trumpeter from Russia, entertained with his expertise. Bassist Joe Ferrao with his finesse helped the band achieve the perfect symphony and impressed all.
Vocalist-guitarist Arinjoy Sarkar, bassist Aakash Ganguly, and drummer Sounak Roy
An Indianised version of jazz was witnessed with emotional and moving pieces played by Essence of Duality founded by sitarist Hindol Deb after he moved to Germany. The band consists of virtuoso jazz pianist Clemens Orth, drummer Christoph Hillmann, and bassist Christian Ramond. Jazzmahal featured the collaborative symphony of bassist Debjit Mahalanobis, pianist Tazim Sheikh and drummer/vocalist Aniruddha Saha. The band, founded in 2022, is a relatively new one with musicians who have years of experience. Another jazz trio, The Shonai Collective, comprising Shifumi Saito on upright bass, Shantanu Sudarshan on drums and the pianist Shonai, played Epiphany — an eight-piece collection of original compositions penned by Shonai. Four On A Swing was founded by pianist Pradyumna Singh Manot in 2007. The band featured Brazilian and Cuban music specialists Ahona Sen on lead vocals, Bihu Mukherjee on drums, Aditya Servaia on bass, Aamir Rizvi on guitar and vocals and Pradyumna (Patty) on the piano.
Tritha & Friends
Diogo Carvalho on percussion