Yes, you would have possibly spotted him somewhere. Probably in a movie. Most thi­nk that actor Ash Chand­l­er, who is performing wi­th his outfit Redux this weekend, has taken up mu­sic recently. The tr­uth is he fi­rst came to India (fr­om the US, where he grew up) in 1999 to release a Hindi pop album, and actually started out as stand-up comedian. 

While he paid attention to his acting career, it was when he had an accident four years ago that he felt revived — as did the musician in him. And he formed Ash Chandler Redux with Angelo Colaco (drums), Keith Donald (bass), Rahul Wadhwani (keys), Ulric Sequeira (guitar), Anand Vaity (saxophone, clarinet) and Heather Andrews (vocals).

The gig will include their re­ndition of jazz standards and tango cl­a­ssics in Spanish. "I want to write songs about lo­ve, and the nature of hum­a­ns. My original work hasn't be­en political. But I do be­lieve in spreading the me­ssage that everyone has to start accepting th­e­mselves and not seek va­lidation. It's crucial for pe­ace. Every drop of bl­o­od will result in 10 mo­re drops," he concludes.

ON March 3, 7 pm
AT NCPA,Tata Theatre, Nariman Point 
LOG ON TO bookmyshow.com
Cost Rs 300 onwards

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Modern jazz instrumental trio from Kolkata The Bodhisattwa Trio is making all the right noises with the release of their new offering, The Grey Alb­um. With the bonus track in th­eir seven-song effort, the ba­nd is mapping the evolution of their own sound over the last seven years. The track, called The Cronos, is a part of all their albums, and marks a change from their up-tempo and rock vibe in their debut album to their jazz sound today, complete with intricate drumming details and synth bass that compel you to keep the beat with your body movements.

A lot of this shift has to do with Arunava Shonai Chatterjee (synth and synth bass) replacing the band’s ba­ssist early last year, which nudged Bo­dhisattwa Ghosh (guitar) and Pr­emjit Dutta (drums) to experiment wi­th their sound. "We always had an inclination towards jazz but started out with progressive rock as we thought we could do justice to that kind of music. Having played as an outfit for so long, and opted for a synth bass, we felt we could go into uncharted territory and could handle difficult sounds and spontaneous creativity," says Ghosh.

Their Mumbai gig will feature all the tracks from their new album, which is divided into two pa­r­ts — chaos to creation, and creation to chaos. The first three songs comprise story-telling between the members and is built on the idea of the duality of an artist’s mind, explains Ghosh, adding that, "There’s an abstraction as artistes don’t think in one particular direction, and this dual nature can be seen in our art as well." Their music is inspired by life events and observations rather than sounds, says Ghosh.

The second half comments on how civilisation is spiralling out of control into chaos, with songs like The Last Train, which talks about the trains in the holocaust in the Second World War and the Indian Partition, and American Dream, which was composed after the members got talking about American capitalism and how we’re on the brink of nuclear war. "We end with Shame, which speaks about the death of a nation, and our chaotic political scenario," informs Ghosh.
They will also be playing songs from their previous album but in a new avatar.

TIME 9 pm onwards
AT The Little Door, off New Link Road, Andheri West 
CALL 9899928776

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Twice as nice

Thanks to a happy coincidence, Ustad Zakir Hussain is the biggest draw at this year's edition of the annual International Jazz Day celebrations at the NCPA. The tabla maestro is usually abroad at this time of the year. But this summer, he is in Mumbai to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Ustad Allarakha Khan, and he performed at the Abbaji Festival yesterday, held to mark his legendary father's path-breaking contribution to Indian classical music. Tonight, Hussain will take the stage again — this time with city-bred stalwarts including pianist Louiz Banks and guitarist Sanjay Divecha — and play a set that falls under the genre of jazz fusion.

Neil Banks, the show's producer, tells us, "We'll have a longer slot for him as compared to the other musicians, since a lot of people are coming mainly to watch Zakir Hussain play. So, the second half of the event will mostly have him on stage, and we cut down on two acts just to accommodate that kind of time frame."

Isheeta Chakrvarty

Banks adds that another distinguishing feature of this year's edition is the inclusion of a bunch of relatively younger musicians. They include Vinay Kaushal, who'll play tracks from a funk jazz album he released recently, and Rahul Wadhwani, who'll perform a short piano set. Then there's Isheeta Chakrvarty and her band — comprising Rohan Ganguli, Clement Rooney, Sambit Chatterjee and Raghuraman Ramasubramanian — who will play an original list of songs that, like Hussain's gig, also fall under the jazz fusion bracket. We ask Chakravarty how she feels about sharing the same stage as the maestro, and she tells us, '"Oh my god!'

That's how I feel. It's of course an honour to be in the same space as him to begin with. But when dreams like this come true, there's also a bit of fear involved, so there's a mix of nervousness and excitement," which, in our books, are understandable emotions given the fact that her band will play right before Hussain takes the NCPA stage a second time in two days, thanks to the fortunate coincidence.

Ustad Zakir Hussain

Time 7 pm to 10 pm
At National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point.
Log on to bookmyshow.com
Entry Rs 300 onwards

Getting back to the roots

You'll be short-changing yourself if you approach jazz music only through an American prism. Yes, the genre did originate in New Orleans at the turn of the last century. But since then, many influences from across the world have seeped in, making it like a packet of M&Ms where each sweet is a different colour, even though the core flavour is the same. Now, a gig at Lower Parel will showcase some of these styles with a line-up of four acts.

The Many Roots Ensemble performs at a SoBo venue

The Adil Manuel Collective, for example, will play a jazz fusion set. Ahora Flamenco, on the other hand, will bring a taste of Spain to the proceedings. And while Da Trio will stick to American jazz standards by the likes of Chick Correa and Wayne Shorter, The Many Roots Ensemble will spice things up with a set of originals that — as the band's name suggests — have their roots in a variety of sources such as folk, disco and reggae. "We will also have a bunch of guest artistes performing with us who will add their own original music," informs Subid Khan, the outfit's guitarist.

Time 9.30 pm onwards
At FLEA Bazaar Cafe, first floor, Trade View Building, Oasis Complex, PB Marg, Lower Parel.
Log on to insider.in
Entry Rs 1,000 with full cover

Let's talk about sax

One of the ways in which a person can view jazz music is to see it as a conversation between different instruments. The drums rattle off something. The guitar adds two bits to that. The saxophone then chimes in with a sensual voice, and so on and so forth. That being the case, an ability to improvise becomes a key quality that the musicians need to possess, given the genre's free-flowing nature.

Rosen Gonsalves

And Rosen Gonsalves will display just that at a gig in a Lower Parel restaurant, where the saxophonist will play a completely impromptu set along with guitarist Vernon Misquita.

"I usually perform with just one other person, who is different almost every time. And for this gig, Vernon and I will meet straight at the venue without having practised together," Gonsalves says about a concert that will essentially involve a two-sided conversation between a wind and string instrument.

Time 7 pm onwards
At TYGR, Level 1, Palladium Mall Pedestrian Walkway, Lower Parel.
Call 9136921735 to RSVP (making a reservation at the restaurant is mandatory)
Free

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