BENGALURU : Come June and Bengalureans can experience some authentic jazz music. The second edition of World Jazz Festival is being held on June 3 at the MLR Convention Centre, J P Nagar at 7 pm. Organised by promoter of cultural activities Banyan Tree, the musicians performing are Prasanna, Alexander Beets Quintet ft. Paul van Kessel and Nathalie Schaap. There is also the Saskia Laroo Band — Jazz meets Hip Hop.
Launched in 2020, the World Jazz Festival was curated with the intent to showcase and celebrate jazz and world music in tandem. The festival was held in association with the Amersfoort Jazz Festival from The Netherlands. The inaugural edition of the festival brought an eclectic mix of international jazz musicians to Mumbai and Pune. In its second edition, the festival begins in Bengaluru on June 3 and will head to Mumbai for two days on June 4 and 5.
In collaboration with the Amersfoort Festival, the festival will feature a selection of artistes from The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and The United States of America. Tenor powerhouse Alexander Beets has gained international acclaim with his explosive sound and swing over the last few decades, appearing alongside Igor Butman, Deborah Brown, Sylwester Ostrowski and Koh Saxman.
Cole Porter, among others. Here, he is joined by trumpeter Ellister van der Molen, while Beets’ brother Marius will be on the bass, and two Dutch drum prodigies, Sven Rozier and Tim Hennekes. And finally, Sebastian van Bavel and Spanish powerhouse Miguel Rodriguez will play the piano. Also joining them is Indian-American guitarist Prasanna, a pioneer in performing Carnatic music on the guitar.
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(The writer is a senior dance critic)