02 May,2009 08:48 AM IST | | Bhairavi Jhaveri
This jazz-funk-electro group loves India if not more than Europe, then just as much. They have performed in the country twice, and even made a whole baraat at a Mumbai diamond merchant's wedding dance. The GUIDE tells you why you should catch them live tonight
Why do we always need somebody else to remind us about how great our country is? A hoard of people, from tourists to artists from all over the world have visited India and somehow, somewhere returned home inspired.
So, it was hardly surprising when Cyrille de Haes, Sangam's electronic bass player, found it difficult to express why he "needs" to come visit this chaotic subcontinent from time-to-time. "Nothing about the country is hidden," he says, attempting to elaborate his great love for India. "There is a vibrant street life. In Europe, people go to work and get back home." And for a musician whose purpose it is to express what he thinks and feels, India is the true abode. "The more you live, the more you have to express," says Cryrille.
Their first few trips here (Chennai, Bangalore, Pondicherry) left the band members fascinated enough to decide to christen their untitled collective inspired by a word that holds a meaning in our spiritual way of life. Sangam that refers to the mythical place in north India where rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet, was a perfect representation of the music they produce. "Each of us listens to different music, each one brings in a different sound. But we are still one," says Cyrille. Thibault Hien (saxophone + keyboards), David Remy (guitar), Cyrille and Sebastien Wacheux (drums); all four band members have trained at jazz schools in Europe, so that's one element that's common to the group. "We throw in a little Rock 'n' Roll, Hip Hop and Funk-Electronic. We just play music. Nothing more than a tune is written; everything is improvised."
As they get exposed to a new sound, they add that in too. So what then can we expect at the performance tonight? "You don't, because even we don't know what's about to unfold. We want people to dance, groove.
Back in Europe, jazz is perceived as sit-down music, and is for those who truly "understand" it. We want to bring the happy element of electronic music to jazz. That's why we blend the two." With their growing social circuit down in Pondicherry, the quartet even bagged a big a'' Indian wedding of a Mumbai diamond merchant.
What they experienced here was unreal, they say. Tonight, as they gear up for their first public performance in Mumbai, they are confident they will add a spark to the night.
Catch Sangam tonight at Blue Frog, 9.30 pm to 11.30 pm at Mathuradas Mills Compound, opposite Kamala Mills, Lower Parel. Entry: Rs 500 per head. Call: 40332300. DJ Clement will spin house post 11.30 pm.
Register for a workshop with Sangam on May 3, 2 pm. For registrations, call Corina on 9819633824
