The neighbourhood bar where the artist comes first, where music is the true calling of the evening, a space where something beautiful is always waiting for you – The Piano Man Jazz Club in Delhi’s Safdarjung market, is a melting pot of music and culture. The eclectic bar and performance venue is the brainchild of Arjun Sagar Gupta, a Fulbright music scholar and a performing pianist. Giants of Jazz is an original property, built and sustained in the country with a lot of care and curation by Arjun Sagar Gupta and The Piano Man Events and Artists Management (T.E.A.M.).Driven by The Piano Man Jazz Club’s signature Artist First philosophy and a mission to build a listening culture, the 4th edition of the festival will preserve this spirit while programming a greater variety of artists.
We had a chance to interact with Arjun about the festival and all things music!
Are you excited about organizing the festival? Tell us a little about the lineup that you've curated this year.
Of course, we're excited about organising the festival, bringing in the artist, introducing their music to our guests and patrons and of course, listening to the music!
The lineup, as always, is a generous mix of the myriad of subgenres within jazz and even steps a little outside the realm with, for example, blue grass music and R&B.
Is there a favourite among them? If yes, tell us why.
Well, one can't compare apples with oranges, I'm excited about different bands for different reasons. Starting the show with Supergombo was amazing, their energy and funky sound was an incredible kick off for the fest. Each band since has brought a fresh sound, their sound to the stage, and each band to come wil continue to do the same.
Living in a time where EDM tops the music charts and is more popular among the new generation, do you think jazz has carved a niche for itself as a genre?
It's only niche because there isn't enough money behind it. Blast jazz on tv, radio and everywhere else and it'll take root like you cannot imagine. A lot of the musical trends are artificially created constructs backed by immense money and marketing.
What songs are you hooked onto currently? Give us a sneak peek into your playlist.
My play lists are always several decades to several centuries old, from classical music to big band and swing. Currently I'm listening to the CD of the artists that have played here, including a the recording of Ravel by a fabulous pianist, Raj Bhimani, who performed at the club the Sunday before the fest.
You've managed to put up eclectic gigs week after week for years now, what's next after the festival?
More amazing music, as always, we're really excited about Tulio Mourao on the 17th and Bconnected and No metal in this band on the 18th and 19th. There's always something amazing on at the club!
TEXT Hansika Lohani Mehtani
What songs are you hooked onto currently? Give us a sneak peek into your playlist.
My play lists are always several decades to several centuries old, from classical music to big band and swing. Currently I'm listening to the CD of the artists that have played here, including a the recording of Ravel by a fabulous pianist, Raj Bhimani, who performed at the club the Sunday before the fest.
You've managed to put up eclectic gigs week after week for years now, what's next after the festival?
More amazing music, as always, we're really excited about Tulio Mourao on the 17th and Bconnected and No metal in this band on the 18th and 19th. There's always something amazing on at the club!
TEXT Hansika Lohani Mehtani