If you are one of those people who gravitate towards jazz music, don’t miss out on this opportunity to partake in a jazz celebration this Friday at Anjuna Goa. The event will be featuring India’s incredible drummer Adrian D'Souza along with the acclaimed saxophonist Shirish Malhotra.
Jazz Odyssey is an experiential jazz event that is organized every last Friday of the month. With a limited capacity audience, the organizers plan to put a show of captivating melodies of live jazz music.
Jazz nights are an age-old concept. In the 50s and 60s, jazz musicians would play in clubs every night of the week. Playing so often, they would develop a strong chemistry, so much so that even if they played the same tunes, they would sound so different because they would improvise and the audience felt the magic.
“With events like Jazz Odyssey, we’re establishing ourselves as a formidable force in the jazz scene and are now capable of inviting competent musicians like Adrian and Shirish to come play with us, and with them bringing their own skill-set, it further improves and elevates the whole music scene in Goa,” Jonathan Furtado, a bass guitarist and one of the organizers of the event.
Adrian D'Souza hails from a musical family with his grandfather playing the violin as an accompaniment to the silent movies back in the day and his mom being an ATC-level pianist.
After noticing his interest in the drums, he was given a drum set at age five and a keyboard thereafter. With an illustrious 25-year career in the music industry, he has garnered recognition and admiration for his exceptional skills and dynamic performances.
“I am looking forward to playing at The Flying Goat. It is always interesting to play to new audiences, and it is wonderful that clubs like these encourage this niche genre of music. As a performer, it is a pleasure to explore new sounds and bring new music experiences to music lovers. That is a celebration of jazz! A celebration of music!” exclaims Adrian D’Souza, who will perform at the event.
For Shirish, although his mother did try to teach him some basic keyboard, nothing clicked until he held his first acoustic instrument.
“When someone gifted us a quality wooden recorder from Germany, suddenly there was no stopping me. I learnt to play the heck out of it within months and wanted to progress to the saxophone straightaway, but was given a violin and later a flute upon my insistence on playing a wind instrument. It would be 9 more years before I first laid my hands on a sax,” Shirish recollects.
Shirish is a multi-instrumentalist who enjoys the rush felt at live performances where there are no retakes. “Though I always play plenty of Brazilian and Cuban music (apparently I have a Latin soul), this time Adrian is pulling us a bit more in the swing direction. We’re also going to pay tribute to Wayne Shorter who sadly left us earlier this year,” Shirish adds, revealing what jazz lovers can expect on the Friday night performance.
With the promising music scene in the state, Adrian finds it encouraging to see the genre diversity. Sharing the best advice he’s ever received, he says, “Keep the focus on the passion of playing rather than running after fame. If one does it right, the rest follows.”
As for Shirish, he suggests one can make use of the numerous resources online, but what is also essential is to get authoritative feedback on one's musical progress.
“People romanticize and idealize music learning, way too much. I think training your ears to recognize intervals, chords, and voicing patterns, as well as classical instrumental training and sight-reading are crucial. The most complete musicians can hear what they see on the page in their inner ear as well as write what they hear on paper so it is easily communicable to collaborators,” he adds.
As music fills the air and the tempo rises, the ambience at the café on such Friday events becomes very intense. The night turns electrifying with a mix of sensitive tunes and hard core bebop fast-swinging tunes. It’s a roller-coaster of emotions for music lovers to experience.
The Flying Goat is a pre-loved bookstore, café and bar located in Anjuna. With a strong focus on environmental consciousness, The Flying Goat offers a diverse selection of books, a menu driven by seasonal ingredients and a relaxing ambience for guests to enjoy. The monthly event of Jazz Odyssey is scheduled for this Friday, June 30, at 8 pm.