Apr 27 2025 to Apr 27 2025 4 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

In honor of International Jazz Day, the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) presents a day of events exploring jazz’s rich history, global influence, and contemporary expressions. Through a lecture, a listening session, and a live performance, we delve into jazz’s evolution from its roots in New Orleans to its resonance in diverse cultures worldwide.

Jazz: The Style, Structure, and the World Stage by Ramjee Chandran | Lecture | 4pm – 5:15pm

Jazz is admired for its complex harmonies, distinctive phrasing, and improvisational depth. But what gives it its unique identity? And why does it continue to resonate across generations and cultures? This lecture traces the journey of jazz from its roots in New Orleans and the swing era to the innovations of bebop and beyond—cool jazz, hard bop, and free jazz. It explores how each style reflects changing ideas in music and society, and how jazz evolved from popular entertainment to a sophisticated art form. Though born in America, jazz has travelled widely—from Brazilian bossa nova to India. While Latin jazz found global popularity, the question remains: can there ever be a true Indo-jazz fusion that honours both traditions?

From New Orleans to New Delhi: How Jazz Got Its Passport Stamped by Abhijit Nath | Listening Room | 5:30pm – 6:45pm

Jazz, while being a quintessentially American form, has a short enough history that other cultures found ways to assimilate their own sounds into it. Starting from the early Latin jazz sounds of the 40s, jazz found its way to South America, through tango and bossa nova, to its classical harmony roots through the work of ECM records in the 1970s, to Africa through afrobeat and World Circuit records, and of course to the modal music of Asia through greats such as John McLaughlin, Dhafer Youssef and Tigran Hamasyan. Jazz takes on the garb of the music of its day, whether it be jazz rock fusion in the 1980s, samples heard on Kendrick Lamar records, or the unique electronic-influenced sound of Alfa Mist.

Time Travels in Jazz: From Bop to Beyond by Diptangshu Bhowmik & Kiran Ponnaluri | Performance | 7pm – 8:30pm

Step into an evening of rhythm, harmony, and stories as two dynamic voices from Bangalore’s contemporary music scene — Diptangshu and Kiran — take you on a journey through the evolving landscape of jazz. Tracing the arc of jazz from the bebop era to modern swing and straight-ahead explorations, this performance is more than a concert — it’s a conversation. Through their set, the duo will unravel how jazz has transformed across time, place, and genre, weaving in their own personal trajectories that led from London, Calcutta, and Bangalore to this moment on stage.

Speakers & Performers

Ramjee Chandran
Author, Journalist & Media Entrepreneur
Ramjee Chandran is author, journalist and media entrepreneur with decades of experience. His novel, For No Reason at All was released in January 2025 and he has been signed up to write his next book, The History of Bangalore—a work of scholarship crafted as narrative history. He is host of the podcasts, “The History of Bangalore”—a rich dive into the history of his hometown and “The Literary City”—a literary podcast that features authors acclaimed internationally.  He plays jazz guitar at the professional level—and chess with astonishing mediocrity.

Abhijit Nath
Guitarist, Sarod Player & Composer
Abhijit Nath is a guitarist, sarod player and composer. His primary interests are modal forms of music, and how they can interact in unusual harmonic contexts. He has been a musician for most of his life, starting with the guitar and moving on to the sarod. Middle class realities intervened, however, and he went on to study economics in Delhi and management at IIM Ahmedabad. He spent most of his career in PE and VC, before going back to his true love, studying jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music.

He is currently juggling multiple hats across music and business.

Diptangshu Bhowmik
Keyboard
Diptangshu, a jazz pianist, singer-songwriter & educator hailing from the vibrant cities of London and Calcutta & based out of Bangalore. With an impressive repertoire and collaborations with renowned artists, Diptangshu has established himself as a powerhouse in the contemporary jazz scene around India.

Kiran Ponnaluri
Drums
Kiran is a versatile drummer and educator based in Bangalore. His eclectic freelance work spans Indian folk fusion for climate initiatives, improvised accompaniment for contemporary dancers, rock performances opening for Gauley Bhai, and collaborations with the Coimbatore Chamber Chorale. He performs regularly with the August Quartet at Leela Palace’s ZLB, exploring jazz, Brazilian rhythms, funk and beyond. A winner of London Sinfonietta’s Steve Reich Clapping Music competition and Trinity Grade 8 distinction holder, Kiran shares his rhythmic knowledge at his teaching space, The Portal.