Classical Takeover: The venueless Jammers: 18th Nov @ Bandra

Now there is this Bandra fest going on, (obviously in Bandra!), and there was a fair-fest like atmosphere all along the promenade. This is something unique I've noticed in the spirit of Bandra-the place is full of small scale community events that something or the other is always happening there.

And the fest has made us homeless, or shall I say venueless, for our good old artiste's court was the venue of a classical vocal recital, a full fledged event and there was amplification and all (long craved for by us!) and a beautiful stage and all of that! We decided to be audience for once and obidiently sat down on the rocks with our guitars in restrain, under the covers. After sometime, we (Sanjay, Ali, Yogi, Gauri) collectively agreed to attend something a little less heavy (hehe!) and started moving to see a fuzion band playing at carter road. En-route we decided to play ourselves (and to hell with someone else playing!), chose a place, on the rocks by the sea and had a little jam. Yogi was in good mood and swing. Vijeeth joined in later, the weather was great and it was a nice little lonely jam. Alok, the good old photo pro joined in later with his sister and his parents.

We packed up our jam by 9 30 and went on to have our food at the legendary national Dhaba at bandra station and joked, while eating paan at the shop outside that it will be in our autobiographies (when we write them, hehe, and that is when we become big time musicians), that we used to thrive on simple daal roti from this place. hehe.

And while we were on the train, in the luggage compartment, Yogi, continuing in his wild and free mood, initiated a jam in the train, and we were playing and jamming on the train! wow! and, ladies and gentlemen, that was the third time I played during the day-one at a little concert in the morning at Ghatkopar, which Chintan coordinated and was great fun to be part of, we rocked with the crowd! and then at Bandstand and then in the train! Pretty tight schedule, hehe, and not to mention that we got a fee to play in the morning! yippie!

Here are the pics, no pics of the jam at bandstand though.

The classical recital at the artitste's court

We jam in the train! Thats the luggage compartment!

Face to face with the music!

We got video covergage! hehe!

Wah Wah!

Hang on there! There is more to come in the next journey!

The post Diwali blues Jam of 11th Nov @ Bandstand

I came back from Nausari at around 2 O'Clock to Mumbai, and having played the very night before, and when I contemplated playing again in the evening @ bandstand, felt like some journeying rock star with a tight schedule! haha! The stages are 5 feet by 5 feet, the audience is our very own desi people and the fee is the cheers and the satisfaction, and a feeling of having conveyed something, made a difference somewhere..

From the song 'Guitar Man' by bread

"Who draws the crowd and plays so loud, Baby its the guitar man.
Whos gonna steal the show, you know Baby its the guitar man.

Then he comes to town, and you see his face, And you think you might like to take his place. Somethin keeps him driftin miles and miles away Searchin for the songs to play.

Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along, You want to get the meaning out of each and every song. Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own And take them home."

Whatever!

When I called the gang up, almost everyone was busy, thanks to the post festivities stuff, and only Kailash, Gauri , Bharti and I made it. Gauri had observed another group playing on the promenade and thought it was a band, but it turned out to be a group singing Christ songs..we went there thinking we'd jam up with another band, but still, there seemed nothing wrong to me with the message of these guys and I sat down and did guitar duties for some of their songs.

We got up and we returned to our place, and belted out some songs, I was not singing too loud or too good, and the energy was not kicking, but we did our bit. And then I took this oppurtunity to play some beautiful songs I enjoy playin..Love will keep us alive, Waiting for so long, Words, Peaceful Easy feling, Train leaves here this morning, New Kid in Town and really enjoyed myself!

There was a nice couple who requested "Killing me softly" which I did not know how to play and promised to prepare for the next time.

So that was that. A small bluesy kind of jam, and I walked alone along the Promenade after saying bye to the rest of the gang, and had a moong dosa at the Amrit Sagar hotel like a hundred times before. After my post dinner walk to the Bandra station, Punched my coupons for 5 Rs. for Goregaon and I was home. Home to a room with me and my guitars. Put my head down on the mat and poof! I'm traveling in my dreams...

Here are the pics:

The Lord Songs Group and me belting my guitar

A rather small audience..where's the gang??

Kailash!

I've leartn this new pose for playing...Its rather comfortable!

MFM Jams @ Nausari, Gujarat:10 November

I took the 9 O Clock train from Borivali to Nausari, a small village-town in Gujarat, just a little northwards of Valsad, when Monika was gracious enough to invite me to her place for the Diwali Celebrations with her familiy.

A nice little place with small town patterns of life, a great bustly market (more so thanks to Diwali and the Gujarati New Year Celebrations) , A temple with all the town descending on it to pray to hail the new year, a nice little lake called dudhiya talab, some fairs sprinkled about selling lots of beautiful handpainted pottery and similar merchandise.

Celebrating Diwali meant Pooja rituals and lighting fireworks (I know thats not environmentally friendly, but it feels OK to do it in a small town..Its a hard thing to explain) Next day was primarily dedicated to sleeping away the travel fatigue and washing the Diwali smoke down, and in the evening Monika took the lead to organize a jam at Lunsi park, a central kind of place and a hangout for all the youth of the town. With her usual spirit and her friends all there to support us, I started playing.

In not much time, people were quick to shed their inhibitions and join in with the fun-an honest, simple kind of fun of singing together! And we had classy cheers after each song and I felt like some rock god (!) playing in this small town..This kind of thing makes you think that skill is really a very relative thing...

There was some sharing of numbers, everyone was interested to know when we'll be back and everyone liked it. Told a bit about the concept, but the effects illustrated the objectives of the movement, so it did not matter much.. It was good to notice some appreciative Parsi people stop by and admire, though they did not particiapte.

While on the way back, a high point was getting to eat a gola from a laaree (thela) (streetcart), which is a palate full mounded crushed ice covered with flavours as many and in the colours of the rainbow, topped, ladies and gentlemen, with bizarre nuts! who said caviar is the the most exquisite dish in the world??!!

Here are the pics:

The west side of Nausari station

A fair like atmosphere in front of the temple

Diwali night!

A sort of jetty-park into the Dudhiya Talab

The Sun Rises, shimmering gold on the waters of the lake on the morning of the day after Diwali.

The Jam's on @ Lunsi park!

Audience!!

Was rather encouraging..!

Monika with her local friends (oops names forgotten..) , me and some newly made friends..

Everyone wants to pose with the guitar!

Back to Bandstand-The Runaways Return: 2nd Nov, Sunday @ Bandra

Well, first a self administered pat on the back for the beautiful title! it seems out of some Star-wars like series! For the uninitiated who are wondering why is the title so melodramatic, it is because of the fact that two of the four people who had went away on the journey rejoined the jams after a period of more than a month! if you follow the community on orkut, there were lots of 'sentimental' talk regarding the continuity of the jam by the rest of the gang while the runaways roamed the roads.

I got a feeling that a lot of our remaining gang did not like the 'splitting' up of the jam, specially when we mentioned that our endeveour was to roam and establish similar jams at multiple places. I guess because we've become like a family here at the jam..knowing each other on this unique platform..a platform which is unihibited. But we've got to appreciate each others' own individualities and journeys in life..
the unique thing about the jams have been is that nobody has been ever forced to be regular at the jam-its been open and I've personally NEVER asked anyone why one has not reappeared Sunday after Sunday. I understand it is that freedom that makes the jam fun..the freedom to come when one likes and be accepted like you've never been missed. Like coming back to old friends and never feeling the gap.

The ones who have been most regular have either obviously loved it, have held the sanctity of the jam in high esteem, have gained something substantial out of each jam (friends, the ability to play, be part of community experience, being popular and being the star of the eyes of many girls and boys in the audience ..hehe!..etc. etc.) , for which they might have compromised a bit on their 'other' schedules on Sundays..

For me it had been a calling.. and a personal journey of growth, filling voids in myself, collecting like minded people for the issues I feel passionately about and the changes I've always wished to effect in the society-not just talk and brood about all the things we notice, feel, observe and are victims of often. And I used a tool and a medium I feel most passionate about-Music. So its stood for a lot for me on many angles-causes, calling, fun, sense of belonging, popularity, love, a great sense of gratification that you get by helping others and much more. And its gotten me to act out many roles..thinker, observer, organizer, singer, coordinator, mentor, moderator, photographer (hehe) all in a very small scale kind of fashion, though.

Me am not boasting..just a recollection of things from my perspective..and well the regularity of the jams kind of became sacrosanct as it grew, for people expect us to be there and you feel obliged to be there, sometimes even when you're not wanting to, able to, fit enough to etc. etc.
And since for me and for some other people as well it became so important that it meant ALWAYS being there come what may..but I guess life is not ALWAYS like that! if I'm not there, I'd expect the jam to go on irrespective of that..for the same rules of freedome should also apply to me to some extent..specially when the initial structure of the jam has been established.

But I guess I've been young and stupid- my intentions have been good but probably not my execution to that extent..and my understanding of people has lacked..And I've looked for people to help and aid me in whatever ways they can... And I've had personal matters to sort..things going on in my head..with my life..changes inside me as a human..which caused me to be not to be part of the jam for this duration, and I sure did not like it, but I really felt the need to be away from the jam for a while to get another perspective into whats going on...rather than just going on and on and on week after week in the same fashion..however compelling and attractive that might be..

And I've often felt that if we rose above ourselves sometimes, we'd be able to achieve our objectives in a better way-that of playing good, solid music with an energy that grasps people, articulating issues and letting people express themselves amongst us with thier imperfections (and sometimes having the courage to jam with people from the audience who play much better than us, without feeling small or anything!). Guess this is just like an organization, where if people inside rise above politics and all are able to perform better together as a team. But I guess we are all Humans..put a bunch of us together and we have emotions, thoughts all flying all around..cant help that either.

OHK! that was that. just felt like writing it..outside observers might be getting bored by now, so here's the story of the jam!


Come Sunday. It was like many other sundays before. I came a little earlier, met my cousin Sis Rimmi Di and brought her to the jam, she enjoys being part of the spirit. It was great to comeback to the good old artiste's court. Was relieved (!) to find Rachit and Vikas (a great pro guitarist) already there and jamming amongst themselves. And boy was I dying to start singing! so I slung the guitar over my shoulder and we started! Pulin, Monika and the gang arrived. Tarun, Kailash were there like good old regulars! Vijeeth Made it too! aur Pradeep bhee ! Some high fives and hugs and we were rolling! Then it was like the old times..some requests, some participation, our announcement of the concept and the the spirit taking off. Not as sustained and high as the old times..but I guess life is like that..up and down..you have phases..cricketers are in form and not in form..same with our jam..sine wave!

And then it was time of the surprise, we all were thinking that Vinay was still in Mirzapur and lo and behold, he makes an entry in his usual style! And Chintan made a similar entry, puncing me on the back! great to have a major part of the team back!

I had the oppurtunity of singing "give peace a chance" a song I wrote and Sulabh (Faridabad Band Pal) composed. Sang Iris, Zombie, With or without you as well. Pulin was sneezing, but playing! Monika was the only WOMAN in the "All People Jam Band" (!!) . Thus this jam can also be called the "return of the men", just in time to stop the takeover of jams by the women! hahaha!And Yogi was churning out a lot of Indian Ocean in ishtyle!!

Later, a guy from the audience noticed my pathetic rendering of song and took over the guitar duties, hope he comes over in the next jam as well!


Here are the pics:!

Smart Shutterbug and an attentive audience: Thats Kunal with the cam, who I once jammed with. Plays them Drums.

And we are rolling!

Rows and Rows of audience!

and look whos the drummer! thats our regular "Jam Aunt" who never missed the dance floor!

Pretty lads all in a row! The eagles song goes "Pretty Maids all in a row"

Our Boxer-Drummer! Thats Tarun.

Bharti, Pulin and Vijeeth keep it going, while Monika looks like our resident bandit queen!

Our primary 'cheerleader' looks rather uncheery here!!

And that is getting to Sanjay too..No!!

Nice angle on the guitar, thats me looking like some Bob Dylan!

This guy sung us some good numbers!

Chintan Came and look what he is playing these days??

And look who's taken to the Djembe now? Tarun must be fuming by now!

A Hi from Vinay!

Pack up! you know who's who and I'm not feeling like writing L to R and all that stuff! Whateva!

'Jamming by the Lake': Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh, 28 Oct

When we set out on the 28th of Sept from Mumbai on the 'Journey of the Jam Wagon' with no definite destination it had all seemed crazy, and I never had assumed it'll go on for so long, and will use all 3 (physical:not talking about farcasting and all!) means of transport; we traveled by road on the wagon, then took rides on a boat in an idyllic village in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and then when we returned the wagon to its rightful owner at Bhopal, It was the turn of the locomotive. Not detailing the journey any further here, I found myself in Chandigarh on the 28th of Oct, a Sunday, while a paralell Jam was being carried on Bandstand, Mumbai, I was taking a stroll on the Sukhna lake and found it ideal for a jam! and boy was I longing to play! so I coaxed my bro and my cousin sister to accompany me to attempt jamming there.

So we started, and it was nothing like the jam we have here in Mumbai..A lot of people stopped for a while and then moved on..a small group stopped for a while and participated a bit and then moved on too. I guess the general vibe and the spirit of the place was not too conducive and bit more people in the band would have helped. nonetheless, towards the end of the jam, a lone warrior (!), a guy called Akash, took to the guitar and it was nice keeping quite and listening for some time! He turned out to be a mighty nice guy, he'd journeyed the Himalayas for his personal quest and seemed an advanced and clearheaded Individual. I told him about the concept and he was game to jam each Sunday there, but sadly this was just a halt on my journey and I had to head back to Mumbai the next day.

But it seemed a mighty nice place for the sprouting of a jam, and I'm eager to go there again, all of us and kick startin another jam there! Here's one solitary pic, a windup one with Akash, for my cousin and bro were not coperating to well!

Thats Akash and Me, you have the Sukhna lake with beautiful moon at the backdrop!