Touring in : a small guide for the touring jazz musician By Saskia Laroo (commissioned by Buma Cultuur)

Preface

This booklet is a brief reflection of my experiences as a touring jazz musician and meant as a brief and by no means complete guide for those who want to do the same.

India is a huge country with a very rich culture palette. Because of the broad variety of historic folklore, seasoned by crossover influences, also from abroad there is almost no end to the sorts and categories of the different art forms and their outings. Before I did my first tour in India with Jazzkia (the Saskia Laroo Jazz Quartet) I had a complete different picture of the music scene there, in particular the jazz scene. I thought that the Indian classical music, which has fame all over the world of being extremely refined and difficult to master, would be a prominent influence in Indian jazz music, which is true. Also important Indian classical musicians have and have created plenty of musical cooperations with famous fusion and jazzrock musicians from the USA, Europe and from all over the world, resulting in exciting blends of cultures and styles.

However to my surprise I discovered there is a quite big group of lovers of acoustic jazz from the swing, bigband, bebop, hardbop era and beyond, some more strictly dedicated to an authentic form of one or several jazz styles, other more open to mixtures with electronic, pop, hiphop and dance. This scene I feel could be compared with the strong and dedicated straight ahead jazz community in the USA. The Indian jazz lovers connect by organizing listening sessions to their favourite artists, they create jazz clubs and organize concerts there and at jazz festivals, where they have and have had performances by more and less known jazz artists. , John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Billy Holiday, Herbie hancock, Ron Carter, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie and their reptertoire are common ground for most of them. They can call up and hum along with their more or less favourite jazz standards like Canteloupe Island, Summertime, Bye Bye Blackbird, the Girl of Ipanema, Giant steps, Airegin, How high the Moon, Round Midnight, So What, Watermelon Man, Donna Lee and Blue Monk and so on. I never could have imagined that jazz is so widely known and appreciated by this Eastern country that I thought has the name of having its own cultural raga and Bollywood music so remote from Western music. How different it was.

Brief descriptions of the cities I have performed and their contacts

Ahmedabad The city of Ghandi. Also many game animation universities. The perfectly Dutch speaking lady but from India Gauri Wagenaar has been of the biggest support to organize great concerts.

Offi; NL The Business Support Office – Ahmedabad. Address: 31 Shrimali Society, opposite Police Station, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380 009; Tel: +91 79 26449858 / 26564711 contact: Gauri Wagenaar [email protected] / Chetan Chauhan Venue Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, Usmanpura, Ahmedabad 380013; Tel: 079-27556669 ; contact: Jigna Nair: + 91-79- 27556669 press : nitesh Jain, writer/journalist – India ; mob: +919327683460 email [email protected] ; past experiences: The indian Express ; DNA

Bangelore ICT centre

Venue Kyra theatre; 2001, Katti-ma Centre, 100”Road, Indiranagar; Bangalore-38 Contact: Sunjay Vaidya - vice president, marketing +919880089922 ; +918043419999 email [email protected] Contact: Archana Kathpalia – Head – Media Communications & Artist management tel +919845003131 email [email protected]

Chennai South of India, along the coast. City and area where many Surinames Hindustanic people root from. Great Tamil art , Netherlands business representative office.

Venue Hotel Radisson Resort Temple Bay; 57, Kovalam Road, Marnallapuram 603 104; tel +91 4427443636 fax +91 4427223838 Contact: Shabin Sarvotham, resort manager mob +91 9940166073 [email protected] www.grthotels.com Offi NL Netherlands Business Support Office– Chennai, pioneers in international business; #203, Sigma Wing, Raheja Towes, 177, Anna Salai; Chennai – 600 002; India tel +9128601640 / 42158388 / +914428610125 fax +914428603641 www.hollandinindia.org contact; Meenakshi P. R. – Deputy Representative ; email: [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] Contact: V. Vijay Kumar – chief representative ; email: [email protected] [email protected] chennai@trade- minbuza.nl Events Media Mix; contact: Nalini: +91 96 77267755 / Dhananjaya Das: +91 98 40062265 [email protected] ,

Delhi Capital function, Dutch Embassy presence.

Offi NL Koninkrijk der Nederlanden , Embassy of the kingdom of the Netherlands; 6/50-F, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri; 110 021 ; India tel +911124197600 fax +911124197710 www.hollandinindia.org ; contact: Alex Oosterwijk – Head of Political Section; email: alex.oosterwijkminbuza.nl promoter Amit Saigal - +91 98113 08290 [email protected] Pallavi Gulani [email protected] promoter Anand Singh Bawa [[email protected]] +91 (11) 23310400

Goa famous for tourism worldwide.

Jazz org http://www.heritagejazz.com/ [email protected] /events / Gonsalves Mansion, Jazz Hertiage Street, Campal, Panjim, Goa education 403 001 India Contact: -Armando Gonsalves +91-9822487818

Hyderabad ICT centre

Venue ITC Hotel Kakatiya Sheraton & Towers: 6-3-1187, Begumpet; Hyderabad 500016; Andhra Pradesh, India: tel.: +91-40-23400132 Contact person at ITC Kakatiya: Mr. Atul Bhalla, food & Beverage Manager, cell phone 98480 47164

Kolkata fest Jazz Utsav ; Contact: Mr. Ashok Daswani, +91 98361 77010. contact: Sujoy Roy Choudhury- consultant events, database marketing; P-20, Senhati, 1 st floor, Belhala; Kolkata – 700034, W. B.; India ; cell: +919830799373 Email; [email protected] Org jazz CONGO SQUARE MUSIC SOCIETY 60/131, H.P. Dutta Lane, Golf Gardens, Kolkata 700033 contact: Kalyan Kamal Roy: +91 98302 96942 Fax: 033 2287 6109. Tapan Desai : +91 98303 35810 Mail: [email protected] , [email protected] www.congosq.org venue DALHOUSIE INSTITUTE, 42 FAZLUL HAQUE SARANI (JHOWTOLLA ROAD), KOLKATA: 700 019.

Mumbai Capital Function

Offi NL Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Forbes Building, 1st Floor Charanjit Raj Marg, Fort; Mumbai 400 001; India; tel +912222194201 Fax +912222194230 www.hollandinindia.org Contact: Jan F. van Vriesland, Consul mob: +919833066511 [email protected] [email protected] rec label; EMI Music India ; Virgin Records (India) Pvt. Ltd. ; “A” Wing, Navbharat estate, Zakaria Bunder Road, Sewri (W), Mumbai 400 015 ; tel +912224105001 Fax +91 2224103161 Contact: T. V. N. Sridhar – Manager strategic marketing ; mob +919819611342 email [email protected] venue National Centre for the performing arts (NCPA) www.ncpa mumbai .com N C P a Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400021, India 022 22824567 contact: [email protected] [email protected] venue Blue Frog Club, Mumbai; D/2 Mathuradas Mills Compound, N.M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013; tel.: +91 22 4033 2333; contact: Emmanuelle de Decker: +91 98 33 71 86 42 [email protected] [email protected] venue Priyadarshini Park, Napean Sea Road, Mumbai festival Jazz Utsav Mumbai http://jazzutsav.com/ ; contact: Ashok Gulati [email protected] contact: Pallavi Gulani - +91 98119 51267 Coordinator: Shivani Mathur - +91 99205 80060 Travel agent Malaynil Singh - +91 98101 35141 Pune city of Osha, Bhagwan and ICT. Many tourists in all nationalities looking for spiritualism. Hart of the Pune Jazz Society

venue Shisha cafe: hop No-35/36, Koregaon Park, Ghorpadi, Pune, 410001, India; tel.: +91 20 26202390 venue Ishanya Amphitheatre, Airport Road, Yerwada, Tel: 4000.4038 coordinator: : Aarti Irani - +91 9011093841 PA sound & light: Marzban Irani : +91-9823373332 Org jazz Pune Jazz Society; contact: Ahmed Ebrahim: +91-98-22018484 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] press DNA Read the world, Diligent media Corporation Ltd; 1099/B, ist Floor, Shirole House, Model Colony; Pune 411 016; tel 020 39888888 Fax 020 39879100 Contact: Rahul Chandrwarkar; Mobile +919822022283 Email: [email protected] press jazz reviewer : Max Babi [email protected] Rec / distr / Oceanic Sound and vision; high end audio home theatre systems ; outlet CD ‘s – DVD ‘s label and outlet ; 1156/5, Exhibition Road, Off 93 M. G. Road, Pune 411001 tel +9120 26342658 email; [email protected] contact: Mahendra Dave mob 9373342658 Louiz Banks, jazz pianist & singer; [email protected]

Performance fees

Is it worth your while moneywise to perform in India? India is booming. Young people are graduating and getting well paid jobs in the IT – world, game industry, etc. They love music and don ‘t mind spending money on it. Older people that have lived and worked in the USA or other Western countries have brought back even more, sometimes first hand love for jazzmusic With an economic growth of 12% per year they soon will play an even far more important economic role in the world especially since many Western countries show signs of recession. In the Netherlands there are less performance opportunities especially for jazz musicians. The average price that a small jazz club in the Netherlands pays to their musicians is about the same in India or more ; around Rp 15.000 (E240) – 25.000 (E400). Normally any venue also arranges and pays for the local travel towards the venue. Travel is mostly done by air because of the enormous travel distances between most cities (see also tips about flying). Bigger jazzclubs, -festivals and -events range in prices from Rp 50.000 – 100.000 for a concert towards even paying for international flights of the whole band, with or without support of sponsors, government officials or totally on their own company ‘s strength.

Tips and tricks

PA systems and instrumental rent Generally my experience with PA systems and amplifiers is quite good in India. The soundmen were also mostly good. Also the experience with drums, keyboard and acoustic / grand were OK. It might be very hard to find an upright bass in India.

We were lucky to find one in Hyderabad although we had to put the strings on it because they were taken off and there fore put the bridge in hopefully the right place (see picture).

General travel advise Travel light, as light as possible, you might regret every unnecessary kilo you brought on the trip when you have to carry it around in heavy hot weather on a dusty road surrounded and chased by poor people when walking from the airport to the taxi. Some local flights take only 15 kilos check in luggage and 8 kilos hand luggage. Some airlines (local and international) want you to check in your instruments in soft cases (electric bass, guitar). Some airlines don ‘t want you to have any metal as hand luggage (, music stand). Don‘t take the 8 hour bus trip from Pune to Goa for many reasons especially if you are over 2 meter tall. Don ‘t take the train from Mumbai to Hyderabad they told me and I think I believe them. Don ‘t go to India if you only like everything to be perfect (five star hotels and limo’s) and are inflexible and unable and/or unwilling to improvise with circumstances. You will miss out on all other great things including performing for an amazing appreciative and winging audience, and that is besides the outstanding food which by the way can be spicy. An alternative is the fast growing amount of everywhere nearby American fastfood restaurants. Poor begging children / people are becoming fewer since economics are booming in India. Keep your car windows closed however and watch your papers and valuables. Traffic is hectic in India, don ‘t try to drive yourself. In most Western countries it ‘s considered dangerous to unnecessary honk your horn, in India it ‘s dangerous not to honk your car ‘s horn. It ‘s common to give tips but nowadays in some cases if the tip is too low you are summoned by the acceptor to give more in which case you could withdraw the total tip offer.

Tips about flying In general: be aware that if your flight is not direct your luggage could get lost and hopefully arrive later. Keep your luggage tags and fill in all the forms at the airport to be sure to have done the utmost to solve that situation. Airlines and some travel insurances cover some costs. Try to keep some emergency necessities in your handluggage. Never transport valuables in your checked luggage.

International flights Most international flights depart from and arrive to Mumbai. Other international hub cities are Delhi, Chennai and sometimes Goa. Schedules change all the time. European hub cities are besides (direct flights with KLM), London, Frankfurt, Zurich and more. Also many flights fly via Dubai and a few other Middle East cities. For cheap flights book way in advance, some websites: www.kayak.com www.kelkoo.com local flights There are many local flights in India and often cheap however you should never try to book them yourself. In many cases it ‘s not possible to book local flights with a non - Indian creditcard. Sometimes at the airport you need to show a copy of the creditcard with which the flight has been booked. Sometimes flights are still listed on the web but don ‘t exist any more. Flight delays are quite common, mostly because of weather circumstances. Oh and the view over parts of the country can be very impressive on a clear day Some websites: www.whichbudget.com , www.spicejet.com , www.flykingfisher.com , www.goair.in

Clothes Dress for mostly warm weather but at some places in the North of the country and in the evening it could be chilly or cold. And there are places with very strong aircondition. Respect local dresscode, sometimes rather wear a long dress instead of a miniskirt although the TV is full of Bollywood moviestars with sexy clothes.

Food Food at the hotel is mostly good. Still it ‘s always possible to catch diarea because of some bacteries in uncooked water that peoe outside from india are not used to. Don ‘t buy any food on the street and don‘t drink any water from the tap; if you buy water, check if the top is sealed otherwise it might be a refill from the tap. Cook water you don ‘t trust and still want to drink it.

Practical necessities: Business Visa: Try to get a business visa. You need an invitation from India for this. See also www.visumdienstindia.nl Business travel insurance: Some travel insurances don ‘t pay if something happens and the main purpose of your trip is work, instead of tourist. Always check with your insurance. See also www.europeesche.nl

Vaccinations Check before you travel which vaccinations you need. See also www.tropencentrum.nl Take cream or spray against musquitos with you if you plan to be outside the city or have concerts at night in open air. Generally there are no malaria musquitos in cities.