After playing gigs six nights a week for a decade and performing all over the world, jazz musician Colin D’Cruz is now up to something more exciting! Originally a bass guitar player well known in the Jazz and live music scene in Mumbai, Colin moved to Goa to pursue something more fulfilling and for the greater good.
Colin’s Jazz Goa Studio in Sangolda, Goa is perhaps one of the very few studios where a musician can record for free.
Promoting Local And International Talent
“Music is an intrinsic part of life in Goa but ironically local musicians have always been given the raw deal. We are probably the lowest paid in the world! I set up Jazz Goa to try and improve things for local artists, giving them a better local platform and also a global stage with the help of the Internet.”
Drop in at Colin’s studio at any time and you are sure to catch something interesting. A Russian saxophonist recording on a Bollywood jazz track, a Dutch singer crooning some Goan Konkani melodies, the fusion will leave you wanting for more.
Reviving The Live Music Scene
Along with providing a platform for local and international artists to showcase their talent, Colin is also a crusader of the live music scene.
“My early memories of performing on resident band contracts at five-star hotels in Mumbai are vivid ones of real showtime! We had a stage where the curtains went up on each set we played and every seat in the house had a clear view of the band at places like the Taj Mahal hotel’s ‘Rendezvous’ and the Oberoi Sheraton hotel’s ‘Supper Club’. Today you’ll be lucky to find a solo or duo act at these same places,” Colin laments.
This is the day and age of electronic dance music, EDM as it is more popularly known. The millennial pay exorbitant prices for a ticket to festivals that have a congregation of popular DJs and don’t mind at all. While all of this is great, there is a slowly dying scene which needs to be revived and celebrated. It is a rarity to see a full-fledged band in action these days. But thanks to musicians like Colin Dcruz, all hope is still not lost.
A Busy Yet Fulfilling Life
Colin performs live in Goa and has to his credit various bands with whom he tours around the world. The days are for recording and the nights for performing. It is all very busy and hectic but Colin manages to do it all with the help of his wife Diana who is now doing videos for his band.
“Today’s kids take to software instead of ‘musicware’. Technology and changes are all fine but just remember music is created by honing your skills on a musical instrument or vocal chords and not by pressing the play button on your machine.”
Sound words of advice from a seasoned musician who has seen it all, over the years. Our best wishes are with Colin in his quest of giving the live music scene all the attention it deserves!