National 9 (Spotlight Weekly)

JAZZMANDU 2003
Jazz Comes To Kathmandu

By Anne Warden

Two-week long Jazz festival began on February 28 with packed venues being treated to some of the finest modern jazz from notable international and local acts. Auspiciously, the festival began on the celebration of Shivaratri, and there contained much creative energy to substantiate it.

"Bom Shivas Big Day Outî an outdoor concert held on day two at Gorkana, saw twelve international and local acts doing what they do best, over a ten-hour period. The crowd was entertained with high energy and creative sounds as the bands grooved into the night.

The local Nepali musicians were interspersed with international acts to create a pioneering blend of music. Saxophonist Ralph Thomas, who has shared the stage with such legends as Don Cherry and Marvin Gaye, mixed it up with popular local band Cadenza.

When the bass player from the Norwegian band the Funky Homosapiens fell ill and could not perform, local musicians easily slipped into the fold and improvised in the best tradition of contemporary Jazz music.

The festival is quite an achievement considering less than a decade ago nobody considered Jazz had a place in the Nepali music scene. The introduction of Jazz and its escalating popularity in the Kathmandu Valley can be wholly credited to a small group of devoted musicians and supporters. Cheddup Bozman, the owner of the Upstairs Jazz bar and manager of the resident band Cadenza, along with the band leader and drummer Navin Chhettri, worked especially hard to bring Jazz to Nepal.

According to Navin, a significant byproduct of the festival is the opportunity for aspiring Nepali talent to gain considerable experience and recognition on the international music stage. "My hope is that the festival will expose fresh talent in Nepal and it is a good way to promote harmony in troubled times".

The success of this festival, now a major tourist event for Nepal, is also due largely to the hard work of the festival co-founder and manager of Upstairs Ideas, Susan Sellers. Sellers is the daughter of Australian jazz aficionado Neal Sellers, founder of the Palmer Street Festival in Townsville, a key event on the Australian Jazz calendar.

Cadenza were invited to play at The Palmer Street festival in 2000 and secured their place as one of the first Nepali bands to play at an international venue. Cadenza have now accrued a veritable cult following whenever and wherever they play.

Aside from all the great music on show an ancillary motive for the festival is the far-reaching social benefits to Nepalese musicians.

"We intend to develop a program of instrument donation to Nepali schools and local musicians. We will be donating 25% of the profit from the festival to the development of a music residence school to attract international musicians to Nepal and for them to play with and train local musicians" Sellers said.

One of the international acts featured heavily throughout the festival is Australian jazz funk outfit Afro Dizzi Act. Last year's crowd favorites are back again for a second tour, sharing their appreciation of the event and their love of the music it imparts.

Nick Aggs, saxophone and vocals from Australian band Afro Dizzi Act said Jazzmandu 2002 "brought together musicians from culturally diverse backgrounds who could share a common language in music, creating dialogue with the listener, proving that through music we are all the same people and differences need not be a source of conflict but a source for peace, love, understanding and compassion".

Other bands performing at different venues around Kathmandu and Pokhara included acts such as the Funky Homosapiens from Norway, acclaimed flautist Jamie Baum and her quartet from New York, the prodigious Natalie Williams from the UK, the Netherlands Jesse Von Ruller Trio, and Ralph Thomas from France.

In support are top Nepali classical folk and jazz bands such as Cadenza, Sita Pati and Vajra.

Bombay band, Groove Suppa will grace the stage as will India's Trilok Gurtu, considered one of the world's finest percussionists. He will bring with him 180 kgs of drums including tablas, dhol drums, gongs, cowbells and the ubiquitous bucket of water into which he plunges resonating instruments to create a distinctive sound.

One of the missions of Jazzmandu is to position Kathmandu as a premier fixture on the International Jazz circuit. In doing so it also hopes to attract a different category of visitor to Nepal who may not have previously considered it as a holiday destination of choice. Many tour operators have begun to offer a variety of Jazzmandu packages to local and international visitors.

The venues for the various events have been carefully chosen for the atmospheric contribution they make. From Pokhara, the lakeside town at the foothills of the Annapurna mountain range, to the serene courtyard of the 17th Century Malla Palace in Patan, each venue will ensure a unique ambiance is achieved.

In its entirety, Jazzmandu celebrates what an accommodating genre of music Jazz is. The eclectic styles coalesce to create a fusion of East meets West that brings a strong global feel to the event. Jazzmandu celebrates all that is good in Nepal and assists in overlooking the troubles of recent times. Bring on Jazzmandu 2004.

(Ms Warden is a pyschologist from New Zealand. A keen music lover and player of guitar and mandolin, she is currently working in Nepal)