Tune into all that Jazz

Updated on: 04 October,2011 07:17 AM IST |
The Guide Team |

NCPA's ChalkTalk sessions, which feature lecture-demos by Jazz experts will give the musically inclined an insight into little-known gems from this genre

NCPA's ChalkTalk sessions, which feature lecture-demos by Jazz experts will give the musically inclined an insight into little-known gems from this genre

According to old timers from Kolkata, when African-American pianist Teddy Weatherford died, in 1944, nearly 40,000 lined up the streets when his coffin made its way to the cemetery.

Weatherford, who debuted in Chicago in the 1920s had the honour of sharing space with the legendary Louis Armstrong and spent more than ten years in India, where he introduced the charm of this genre to enthusiasts at a time when it was rarely played at public platforms.

As in India, his exploits on the piano were appreciated during his performances in Paris and Shanghai. Leading city editor and author of soon-to-be-published Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay's Jazz Age, Naresh Fernandes will conduct a lecture-demo, Following the Albatross: The Jazz Journeys of Teddy Weatherford where he will focus on the city's contribution to giving Jazz a much-needed platform in the 1930s as we well as how Weatherford influenced its growth in context of today.

The second lecture, to be held tomorrow, by Jazz historian Sunil Sampat, is a session about enjoying this vibrant genre of music with snippets from different sub-genres.