MUMBAI: With the Jazz Utsav in Mumbai just around the corner, the metropolis' jazz music lovers can look ahead for a musical treat starting from 29 and 30 November at the Bandra Amphitheatre.

It's been 30 years since the legendary Rudy Cotton played the first notes at Mumbai's Rang Bhavan, notes that set off a great tradition, the tradition of a jazz festival in India. It was the beginning of the first Jazz Yatra.

If we go back to India's Jazz music roots, Jazz India was founded in 1975 with an inaugural concert by Karin Krog. It was Soli Sorabjee who organised the first Jazz Yatra with a few jazz music lovers – not many know that Sorabjee started a jazz band called �Capital Jazz' in Mumbai during the same time. Later the Jazz Yatra continued on a bi-annual basis till 2000, thereafter it was run annually till 2004.

Considered to be the first Jazz festival in Asia, �Jazz Yatra' is now known as �Jazz Utsav' – one of the oldest and longest running jazz festivals outside America. This year Jazz Utsav will see few of world's best Jazz artistes performing over a period of three days.

However, with Anoushka Shankar also set to perform with Jazz musician Jethro Tull at a different venue. It looks the city is jazzing it up for the music treat.

This year the Jazz Utsav 2008 is presented by Dewar's in association with Carlsberg and CNBC. The event is organized by Blue Frog and Capital Jazz.

Participating Bands and Musicians

HONOR HEFFERNAN – Ireland

Honor Heffernan has been performing as both a singer and actress for over 30 years now and is comfortable singing anything from Jazz and Blues to Rock and Folk.

FRANCOIS BOURASSA QUARTET featuring JEANNE ROCHETTE - Canada

Composer and pianist Fran?§ois Bourassa leads one of Canada's most active recording and touring jazz ensembles, which recently celebrated its 25th birthday. A trio for 15 years, Fran?§ois Bourassa, Guy Boisvert (on bass) and Yves Boisvert (on drums) were joined in 1998 by the celebrated saxman Andr?© Leroux. Upon Yves's subsequent departure, drummer Greg Ritchie (Halifax/New York) joined the group for all tours and new recordings.

Paris-born singer Jeanne Rochette combines her schooling in the acting and musical traditions to create a stage show full of charisma and passion. After a spell on the Parisian jazz scene, Rochette relocated to Montreal in order to further her vocal studies; it was there that she met Bourassa, and since 2005, the two have combined efforts to wow audiences across Quebec and beyond. Rochette's repertoire includes original compositions and reinterpretations of chansons and standards in English and French.

HENK MEUTGEERT - Netherlands

Henk studied piano at the Zwolle Conservatory in the Netherlands (Rudie de Heus) and, in addition to his piano studies during the last two years, studied arranging (Frans van Elsen). He has accompanied many famous soloists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme and Eartha Kitt

THE PLOCTONES – The Netherlands

Anton Goudsmit (guitar) is a much sought after player who does amazing things with whatever music he is presented with or writes. On stage he makes you wonder where the fire escape is! In 2001 Anton formed the Ploctones to perform a series of his compositions commissioned by the Dutch NPS Radio. In 2004 former VPRO radio presenter Ren?© de Rooij organised a live cd recording at the Jazz op het Dak festival. Under De Rooij's management the Ploctones has emerged as a very creative and innovative group that is capable of combining grooves and improvisation. The highly inflammable drumming of Martijn Vink, the solid and virtuoso bassplaying of Jeroen Vierdag and the intelligent approach of Efra??m Trujillo on sax, upgrade Anton's music and give this band it's unique sound. Their new album 050 has released in India on Blue Frog Records.

HARRI STROJKA - Austria

One of Austria's greatest jazz musicians, Harri has musical roots that run deep:
He comes from a Roma Gypsy family that surrounded him with rhythm and harmony before he could even talk.

He founded the first Harri Stojka Express, the only Austrian group to have performed alongside Jimmy Cliff, Eric Burden, Van Morrison, and Carlos Santana at the Open Air Festival in the Vienna Prater Stadion. A short time later, he was invited to Montreux, the Mecca of all jazz musicians, where he played with Larry Coryell at the Guitar Summit.

He is hailed in musical circles as the most outstanding gypsy jazz guitarist in the world.

SASKIA LAROO - Netherlands

Saskia Laroo, coined in America by press and public as �Lady Miles Davis of Europe' is one of the few women playing trumpet.

Saskia Laroo combines today's music by uncontrived romps into new styles, eagerly limned as "nu jazz" or "swingin' body-music"- a vivacious blend of hip-hop, jazz, salsa, funk reggae, and world, that many other artists dare not venture.

Saskia Laroo's tour is supported by The Nederlandse Fonds voor Podiumkunsten +

SOUTHERN JAZZ QUARTET – Germany, India, Holland

Holger Jetter – violin

Jeoraj George – drums

Maarten Visser – Sax

Aalaap Raju – bass

This quartet specializes in traditional Jazz, playing classical jazz standards as well as their own compositions. The perfect blend of the electric violin with the natural sound of the saxophone gives this quartet an individual character. The melodic lines and the groovy rhythms are the pillars of the group. An evening with these seasoned musician's promises to be a memorable jazz experience for advanced jazz lovers and first timers alike.

THOMAS SIFFLING TRIO - Germany

Thomas Siffling and his Trio find a wonderful balance between acoustic Jazz and electronic groove music.

By the well-directed application of electronic items such as the 70's wahwah trumpet sound or a trumpet played in delay and the particular instrumentation with, for example, a Cayon, a Darabukka, or an African drum the sound spectrum of the Trio is widely amplified leading to a diversified entertainment of the audience.

It is music for the young and the young at heart, for the fans of both electronic and groovy Jazz music

WOJCIECH KONIKIEWICZ (Poland)

Wojciech (Voytek) Konikiewicz born 1956 in Wroclaw[Breslau], South West Poland. Konikiewicz has a well-established position in several fields of music. As a composer he scores music for symphony & chamber orchestras, choirs, string quartets, reed trios, saxophone and piano, saxophone and organ, harp and organ etc., to progressive, free and nu-jazz, experimental, electronic /dark ambient, EBM ,noise, industrial, trance /,dub & reggae, ethno and sacral pieces.

HOT CLUB DE NORVEGE (Norway)

HOT CLUB DE NORV??GE was established when the acoustic gypsy swing revival swept over Europe in the seventies. Their starting point was the recordings of Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France, mingled with gypsy folklore, waltzes and more modern jazz. Today they have developed their own sound and continue the search for a contemporary expression of gypsy jazz.

The LOUIZ BANKS MATRIX BAND (India)

Louiz Banks : Keyboards

Jesse Sheehan : Saxophones / Tabla

Dhruv Ghanekar : Guitar

Sheldon D'Silva : Bass

Gino Banks : Drums and Programming

Jazz veteran Loiuz Banks brings together an impressive line-up of seasoned musicians in the Matrix. Post-modern progressive jazz with acid is how they term the music. The acid and funk grooves are very important because they propel the music and give it a dance edge. Hard-edged solos with jagged melodies, funky riffs, rhythm explosions and trading give the music of MATRIX a driving edge over mainstream jazz. The Band keeps seeking something new and they like the change; they see it as a necessary evolutionary condition.

The band members are experienced professionals with a yearning for the extreme. They have a serious intent to bring something fresh to the jazz melting pot. All the members in the band are hard nosed professionals, very adept at their instruments and with great imagination and a good attitude. There mantra is that jazz is all about freedom with attitude!

The Jazz Utsav 2008 Schedule

Friday, Nov 28th

7 pm: Henk Muetgeert Band [Netherlands]

8 pm: Fran?§ois Bourassa, featuring Jeanne Rochette [Canada]

9 pm: Harri Strojka [Austria]

Saturday, Nov 29th

6 pm: The Louiz Banks Matrix Band [India]

7 pm: Honor Heffernan [Ireland]

8 pm: Southern Jazz Quartet [Germany, India, Holland]

9 pm: The Ploctones [Netherlands]

Sunday, Nov 30th

6 pm: Wojciech Konikiewicz [Poland]

7 pm: Thomas Siffling Trio [Germany]

8 pm: Hot Club de Norvege [Norway]

9 pm: Saskia Laroo [Netherlands]

At Bandra Amphitheatre

Passes are available at Bhargavas (Bandra), Blue Frog (Lower Parel), tel: 4033 2300, and Silkworks (Worli), tel: 2430 1127 & 2437 3385