Mar 23 2025 to Mar 23 2025 11:30 a.m.

Book/Buy

Where

Courtyard Koota

Ground floor, Good Earth Tarana Good Earth Malhar, near Rajarajeswari medical college Kambipura, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560074

Event Description

TICKETS COMING SOON

CURATOR’S NOTE

Welcome to the second edition of the Courtyard Koota Jazz Festival! This edition builds upon the foundation we laid with our first. Last time, we spotlighted a range of jazz acts from Bangalore, exploring the city’s diverse musical landscape. This year, we’re expanding our reach to include musicians from Auroville/Pondicherry — a region that has long shared a natural connection with Bangalore’s jazz scene.

From Bangalore we have a widely recognized figure in vocal jazz, Radha Thomas, who I've worked with for well over a decade. Based on a solid foundation of jazz, our music also reflects Indian classical music, resulting in an intricate, harmonically complex, and emotionally fulfilling experience.

From Auroville, we’re thrilled to welcome Sage For The Ages, a contemporary jazz ensemble that blends evocative storytelling with modern harmonic explorations. The group is led by Kirtana Krishna, whose compositions explore poetically themes of longing, transformation, and human connection, brought to life through her expressive voice and accompanying band.

We also feature emerging pianist Diptangshu Bhowmick, whose nuanced playing has earned admiration from some of the most respected figures in the industry. He will perform in a duo with Bangalore’s own jazz drummer Rohit PS.

This edition of the festival continues our commitment to showcasing inventive, original jazz, and we look forward to sharing these sounds with you.

— Aman Mahajan (pianist, composer, music teacher)

SCHEDULE

1200    DRiP

1300    lunch (Provided at Courtyard Koota at an additional cost)

1430    jazz appreciation session ft. all the musicians

1630    Radha Thomas and Aman Mahajan

1830    Sage For The Ages

 
About DRiP

DRiP is a dynamic jazz duo featuring pianist Diptangshu Bhowmick and drummer Rohit PS. Together, they bring a fresh perspective to the music, blending old and new standards with original compositions that reflect their evolving musical journey. Their approach seamlessly incorporates the sensibilities of different jazz-grazed genres, creating interpretations that are both grounded in tradition and exploratory in nature.

About the artists: 

Diptangshu Bhowmik:

Diptangshu Bhowmik is an emerging pianist and vocalist, whose nuanced playing has garnered attention from some of the most respected names in the industry. As one of the youngest jazz pianists on the scene, his deep appreciation for bebop and traditional jazz merges effortlessly with his adventurous, contemporary sensibilities.

Rohit PS: 

Rohit PS's sensitive, thoughtful and responsive approach to the drumset sets him well apart from his contemporaries. His ability to navigate different genres with ease has led to long-term collaborations with senior musicians across the globe. In addition to performing, Rohit is a dedicated educator, having mentored over a hundred students to date.

 
Jazz Appreciation Session: The Art of Spontaneous Conversation

As part of this festival, all the performing musicians come together to explore the essence of jazz—its history in brief, the structures and forms involved, and the interplay of instruments. 

Through live demonstration, we’ll break down key elements of interpreting jazz standards, from the musical form itself to things like solos, introductions and endings, highlighting how musicians interact and shape the music in real time.

We'll discuss the role of each instrument and how different approaches influence improvisation and groove. More than just notes and rhythms, jazz is about communication, spontaneity, and shared ideas. Join us for a deep dive into how we create, connect, and have fun with this dynamic art form.

The artists:

Voices:

Radha Thomas (Bangalore)

Kirtana Krishna (Auroville)

Piano/ Keys:

Diptangshu Bhowmick (Bangalore)

Aman Mahajan (Bangalore)

Drumset

Rohit PS (Bangalore)

Raul Mattia (Auroville)

Electric Bass

Dhani Muniz (Auroville)

 
About the performance:

Radha Thomas and Aman Mahajan

If you’re a jazz lover in India, there’s little chance you haven’t heard of jazz vocalist Radha Thomas and pianist Aman Mahajan. A delicate and nuanced duo, Mahajan and Thomas flow in and out of each others’ consciousness effortlessly, creating original, contemporary jazz from India.

They have made music together for over a decade, with multiple collaborations, live concerts, tours, club appearances and video recordings since 2011. Based on a solid foundation of jazz, their music occasionally reflects Indian classical music. The result is an intricate, harmonically complex and fulfilling experience.

You can expect bebop, original material from their albums I Only Have Eyes For You and Bangalore Blues as well as some new, unreleased music. 

About the artists: 

Radha Thomas:

A widely recognized figure in vocal jazz, singer and composer Radha Thomas has been performing for a little over 50 years, in India and abroad. She started in the 1970s with the iconic band Human Bondage and over the years, transitioned from rock & roll to jazz. She has studied Dhrupad, the unique Hindustani classical vocal style with Ustad Farid Ud Din Dagar.

She left India in the mid 70s, having been selected by Jazz India to carry her music across Europe to America. She spent 20 years in New York performing and recording with Ryo Kawasaki, Michael Brecker, Anthony Jackson, Harvey Mason, Leon Pendarvis, Alex Blake, John Abercrombie and others, in some of NYC’s most famous jazz clubs and concert halls. When she returned to Bangalore, she first began performing with Gerard Machado and Network. Soon she met pianist Aman Mahajan and together and they created ‘UNK The Radha Thomas Ensemble.’ She was empaneled by the ICCR (the Indian Council for Cultural Affairs) to be a jazz ambassador for India. When COVID attacked in 2020 putting an end to live music performances, Thomas turned to the internet and collaborated virtually with jazz musicians world-wide, recording 52 videos in a single year. She also often releases music on YouTube and other social media. She performs live these days with Aman Mahajan in a piano-and-voice duo format.

She is a dog activist and host of the podcast ‘The Indie Dog.’ She is also the author of several books and hosted a jazz radio show on Radio Indigo.

Aman Mahajan:

Mahajan, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, is an accomplished and much sought-after pianist and composer recognized for his syncretic approach to music through solo and collaborative work. A voyager through musical realms, Aman believes in improvisational music as a medium of interaction, expression and exchange.

His compositions bridge modern jazz with folk and classical traditions, creating a dialogue that transcends genres. They are rich in improvisation and rhythmic nuance, exploring emotional and sonic landscapes, and paying homage to inward journeys.

Based out of Bangalore, Aman is involved in projects dedicated to musical exploration. Apart from his own project REFUGE, he collaborates closely with Berlin-based guitarist Nishad Pandey in Tinctures, with jazz vocalist Radha Thomas, in cross-cultural trio Mystik Vibes with hybrid percussionist Muthu Kumar and flautist Amith Nadig, and also with contemporary Carnatic violinist Apoorva Krishna.

Beyond the stage, Mahajan is a devoted educator, contributing to the contemporary music scene in India through workshops and teaching. He curates select performances at independent venues like The Blue Room and Courtyard Koota and has been a returning faculty member at the Global Music Institute, Delhi. 

His work is inspired by a search for unity and connection.

 
About Sage for the Ages:

Sage for the Ages is a contemporary jazz ensemble dedicated to original music that blends modern harmonic explorations with evocative storytelling. Their compositions are rich in lyrical narratives, introspective themes, and dynamic improvisation, drawing from jazz traditions while pushing into new sonic territories. The band’s sound is fluid yet deeply rooted, creating an immersive experience that balances intricate melodies with spontaneous interplay.

Sage for the Ages released their debut album Second Nature in 2023, introducing their distinctive sound through a collection of original compositions that explore personal and universal themes. Their upcoming album, R-Evolution, continues this journey, delving into new harmonic and lyrical landscapes with an emphasis on transformation and growth.

At the heart of their music is a commitment to storytelling through jazz, where each performance is an evolving dialogue between composition and improvisation. Sage for the Ages invites listeners into a world of sound that is both intimate and expansive, always searching for new ways to express the essence of the human experience.

About the artists:

Kirtana Krishna: 

A jazz vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, Kirtana crafts poetic lyrics set to intricate melodies. Her compositions explore themes of longing, transformation, and human connection, brought to life through her expressive voice and storytelling.

Aman Mahajan: 

A pianist with a distinct touch, Aman’s harmonic sensibilities and rhythmic phrasing shape the band’s expansive soundscapes. His improvisations bring fluidity and depth to the music, enhancing its emotional resonance.

Dhani Muniz:

An Indo-Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, Dhani’s approach to bass playing is both melodic and grounding. His deep understanding of harmony and groove adds a vital pulse to the ensemble’s compositions.

Raul Mattia:

A dynamic and versatile drummer, Raul brings textural nuance and rhythmic intensity, driving the music forward while creating space for organic interactions within the band.

Age - 12+