Grammy-nominated Jamison Ross headlines at Jazz India Circuit today

Loudest has been following the ongoing edition of Jazz India Circuit (JIC), currently one of the country’s most eclectic jazz festivals.

The venue is all set for its grand finale on March 17, at One Golden Mile in New Delhi. Echoing with the flavour of freedom, which jazz is synonymous with, the circuit’s final concert will be headlined by Grammy-nominated Jamison Ross, and will also showcase performances by students and teachers from One World College of Music and veteran Brazilian composer, pianist and singer Jim Porto in collaboration with Still Waters. Produced and presented by pioneering entertainment company Teamwork Arts, the 2017-18 season of the Jazz India Circuit is all about getting into the groove, the subtleties of rhythm and the power of percussion with legendary jazz drummers headlining an electrifying series of concerts across the country. The JIC 2017-18 season has brought to India some of the world’s finest percussionists and drummers; the season began with Scandinavian drumming exponent Joost Lijbaart performing at the JIC Launch Concert at Gurugram, Jojo Mayer headlining the Goa International Jazz Live Festival and the first of the twin concerts in Delhi featuring Dave Weckl.  

Commenting on this year’s journey, Sanjoy Roy, M.D, Teamwork Arts said,

People often mistake jazz to be a thing of the past, from the Jazz Age of the 1920s. But more than any other form of music, it is dynamic and a work in progress. At JIC, our endeavour is to provide music-lovers a taste of one of the richest forms of music. JIC was launched with the dream of bringing together jazz musicians of different regions and age-groups and showcase new talent along with seasoned players to embody the heady spirit of jazz.

With the focus of this edition’s JIC being on percussion, the circuit’s finale will host Grammy-nominated percussionist, Jamison Ross. A composer, an arranger, a vocalist and drummer, Jamison takes listeners on a musical journey that unifies his drumming abilities and vocal assets. Jamison gained worldwide acclaim as a featured musician in Tribeca Film Festival’s winning documentary CHOPS, a film that followed the school’s jazz ensemble as it prepared and performed in the renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Festival Competition. As one of the youngest winners of the prestigious Thelonius Monk Jr International Jazz competition in 2012, he has earned a name for himself even though he has been in the professional jazz circuit for only a decade. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFcnhKMpVAI[/embedyt] The swish and snap of his brushes on the snare have left jazz-lovers around the world asking for more; his lilting vocals have added to his magic. As the New York Times has pointed out, after Ross won the Monk competition, that the measure of a great jazz-drummer was a combination of ‘dynamic flexibility’, ‘catalytic chemistry’, ‘alertness to the moment’, and ‘mastery of form’, all of which found a place in the way the young jazz drummer presented his music to listeners.

If Ross represents the talent and promise of a younger generation of jazz- musicians, veteran composer, pianist and singer, Jim Porto from Brazil, combines jazz with the infectious beats of Samba and the depth of Afro-funk, creating a mélange that has taken the world by storm.

His collaborations with giants like Chet Baker, fellow Brazilian, Djavan, among others stand testimony to his genius. Porto will be collaborating with one of India’s foremost drummers, Lester Godinho, and his band, Still Waters at the JIC closing. JIC’s season finale will also showcase a performance from the Gurugram-based One World College of Music, which serves the needs of advanced music students. The school, whose core belief remains in the idea that performance is integral to the process of learning, will present its best students at the JIC concert, who will perform along with their teachers.   With all this and more, there is much to look forward to at the finale of Jazz India Circuit’s 2017-18 season. Watch this space for more insights as the event unfolds.