International Jazz Day 2019: April 30 is celebrated as International Jazz Day. UNESCO designated the day as that in November 2011. The day celebrates the music genre from around the world in various ways in order to promote dialogue, tolerance and peace through Jazz.
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the New-Orleans among the African-American communities in the United States in late 19th and early 20th century. After evolving from blues and ragtime, it became a major form of musical expression and saw the likes of some of the greatest musicians of the world contribute and further its standard.
Having categorized, sometimes, as the saddest music with political struggles of African -American communities finding way into Jazz music the genre has evolved and spread across the world, also giving rise to different styles. Jazz apart from being music is also a performance genre.
As the world celebrates Jazz today, here is a look at a Hindi film that used Jazz and indigenized it to contribute most effectively not just to its ethos but also for enthusiasts who wish to explore this genre through a regional-sense.
Bombay Velvet(2015), a crime thriller directed by Anurag Kashyap took about five years to make the music of the film that was composed by Amit Trivedi.
The film based on Gyan Prakash’s book Mumbai Fables chronicled the rise of Bombay to Mumbai, a city’s history and its rise from the partition to the 60’s through characters that complimented the city and told its story apart from theirs, interestingly.
Anushka Sharma who played a character based on yesteryear Goan singer Lorna Cordeiro , in the voice of Neeti Mohan was the mouth of the Jazz organ in the film. Trivedi delivered a retro score that took elements from the film’s genre it was addressing and yet Indianised it in such a way that many jazz enthusiaists revisit the album time and again and call it the musician’s finest work, till date.
From having recorded with international Jazz artists in Prague to using singers like Neeti Mohan and Shefali Alvares to lend their voice, this composite mix is a must listen to.
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya, Majrooh Sultanpuri
Label: Zee Music Company
Singers: Neeti Mohan and Shefali Alvares
The Bombay Velvet playlist
Shut Up (Singer: Shefali Alvares)
Behroopia (Singer: Mohit Chauhan and Neeti Mohan)
Jaata Kahan Hai Deewane (Singer: Neeti Mohan)
The Bombay Velvet Theme (Instrumental)
Aam Hindustani (Singer: Shefali Alvares)
Mohobbat Buri Bimari (Version 1) (Singer: Shalmali Kholgade)
Mohabbat Buri Bimari (Version 2) (Singer: Neeti Mohan)
Mohabbat Buri Bimari (Version 3) (Singer: Shefali Alvares)
Kha Kha Ga (Singer: Neeti Mohan)Conspiracy (Instrumental)
Tommy Gun (Instrumental)
Dhadhaam Dhadhaam (Singer: Neeti Mohan)
Naak Pe Gussa (Singer: Neeti Mohan, Backing Vocals: Amit Trivedi)
Sylvia (Singer: Neeti Mohan)
Darbaan (Singer: Papon) & Fifi (Singer: Suman Sridhar)