Showcasing the diversity of a genre, Pune Jazz Project takes you on a groovy trip

A certain type of music in India has lived in hotel lounges, cinema orchestras, touring bands, and late-night club sets that were never meant to make history. And yet, history happened anyway. Long before it was spoken about as a niche genre, Jazz had already seeped into the country’s musical bloodstream. Today, bands like Pune Jazz Project are reshaping that legacy.

Their travelling concert format, A Night of Jazz, coming to Hyderabad, reflects that philosophy. Built as a journey, the set moves through Swing, Blues, Funk, Gypsy Jazz, Jazz Rock, and original compositions. “Jazz is like a mother genre,” says Ashutosh Joshi, founder of the band. “So many styles have come out of it. Even if we’re not playing something strictly Jazz, the format is always the same. That’s the lens we’re looking through.”

Pune Jazz Project began almost accidentally. In December 2022, Ashutosh was curating music for a festival, putting together a one-off ensemble drawn from different cities. “It was supposed to be just one gig,” he says. “But the first show happened in front of a big audience, and everything just clicked.” The musicians stayed on, the name stuck, and what began as a festival experiment turned into a full-fledged band that has since played hundreds of shows across India.

While Pune isn’t often described as a Jazz capital, its relationship with the genre runs deep. “The city has one of the oldest Jazz cafés in the country, Shisha Jazz Café — which has been running for over 20 years,” Ashutosh points out. The city has also produced influential figures like Roger Dragonette, whose work spans Indian Jazz circuits and Bollywood orchestras.

Jazz’s presence in India extends far beyond Pune. “People forget that in the 1930s and 40s, places like the Taj and Gaylord in Bombay were hosting regular Jazz nights,” Ashutosh adds. “Artistes like Duke Ellington and John Coltrane actually played in Calcutta and Bombay. That kind of exchange leaves a mark.” Much of that influence filtered directly into Hindi cinema, particularly between the 1930s and 1960s, shaping arrangements, rhythms, and orchestration styles that audiences absorbed without ever calling it Jazz.

What sets Pune Jazz Project apart is the diversity within the band itself. Each member comes from a different musical world. The group has musicians rooted in Blues and Rock ’n’ Roll, Hindi Blues rock, large-scale Bollywood ensembles, and Psychedelic rock. On recent tours, guitarist Faraz, one of the band’s original members, has rejoined the lineup, bringing his own distinctly psychedelic sensibility. Vocalist Juliee anchors many of the group’s originals, including Night of Jazz, a song that traces an evening spent moving through Pune’s venues and music spaces.

Despite Jazz’s long presence in Indian music, misconceptions persist. “The biggest challenge is the idea that Jazz is boring,” Ashutosh says. “That it’s old people’s music or elevator music.” That’s why A Night of Jazz leans on familiarity. Songs like Fly Me to the Moon sit alongside Jazz-inflected versions of Pop and Bollywood-inspired numbers. “Once people recognise a song, the fear disappears,” Juliee, the vocalist and Sidd, bassist, add. “Then they start listening.” A Night of Jazz acknowledges a truth India has long lived with: Jazz was never foreign, it was simply unnamed. And now, in cities like Hyderabad, it’s finding its voice again.

Tickets at Rs 499.

February 6, 8 pm.

At EXT, Film Nagar.

Email: anshula.u@newindianexpress.com

X: @indulgexpress

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