BAND OF THE MONTH:
BollyJazz
Why Bolly Jazz? What
was the inspiration
behind it?
Nikhil Mawkin
(band director and
founder), had ear
fatigue with DJs
playing remixed
versions of Old
Hindi film songs.
And so, similar
to approaching
Realbooks and Jazz
standards, Bollyjazz
was born in order to
use melodies but re-
arrange the music as
per Jazz traditions,
where the musicians
get to explore and
improvise around
jazz harmonies
and rhythms.
For someone who has
never heard your music,
how would you describe
it and draw attention?
Our music is like
driving in a city
with detailed routes,
where musicians at
points make different
turns but come back
together at another
point. And through it
all, they are having
a conversation with
one another about
their feelings.
Who are some of the
musicians you’re inspired
by in your space?
While there
are spectacular
musicians out
everywhere, we
are more inspired
by a sound and
atmosphere rather
than particular
set of musicians.
Mainly by Jazz Big
Bands, orchestras
and musicians like
Duke Ellington
and Count Basie.
What instruments
do you guys play as
a band and why did
you choose these?
26
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
At the core, the band
is run by Nathalie
Ramirez (Flute)
and Nikhil Mawkin
(Guitar/Voice),
which already adds
uniqueness to a
any jazz ensemble,
considering there are
not many western
flute players in the
city. Any good jazz
act will always have
a strong rhythm
section with Bass and
Drums and, above
all, we work with
horn players, mainly
Trumpet, Saxophone
and Trombone
which brings us
closer to our dream
sound of a Jazz
Big Band setting.
Tell us how your jam
sessions look like
Our rehearsals
have evolved
tremendously over
time, they are more
systematic than
just a jam session,
since we work
on a particular
set of pieces that
musicians have to
read and sometimes
improvise over it,
but always following
a particular
structure. At the
core, rehearsals is
where we create
the magic and in
between get time to
laugh and even have
dinner afterwards.
Upcoming projects
Presently we are
working on taking
this project to
Mexico and US as
well, where we would
be collaborating
with musicians
from there, and
exploring the sound
of a Big Band in
some of the present
repertoire and some
new arrangements
which we are
adding to the list.