Only a handful of us Indians have had the good fortune of coming across Western music and instruments, let alone listening to it live (except at concerts). But there’s actually a place in the capital city that has been making it available for all for several years now. I’m referring to The Piano Man at Malviya Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave, and Gurugram. It is very likely that the place and the name may remind you of Billy Joel and also the film – The Pianist.
Being an ardent follower of Indian music and a trained vocalist in the same, piano for me has been mostly listening to the classical performances and Adnan Sami on Youtube, and of course, the Bollywood tracks that have incorporated it. Hence, this was something new for me, and I’m so glad I came across it.
As I entered the new venue at Malviya Nagar, my eyes caught the contemporary chandeliers in the ceiling. Chandeliers fascinate me more than any interiors as such. It adds to the grandeur of any place. Then I came across the seating downstairs and the gallery upstairs. It reminded me so much of the movie Guzaarish ft. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan and the setting where the song ‘Udi’ is shot.
The Piano Man
Just there, I spotted the man behind it all, The Piano Man himself, Arjun Sagar Gupta. Arjun is an electronics engineer and a Fulbright music scholar who thought of bringing all that jazz to Delhi. He voiced my all-time favorite ‘Wonderful World’, and my heart was at peace.
Thankfully, we met over a chat, and he spoke to Life Beyond Numbers on the sidelines of their event, ‘Giants of Jazz, ’ sharing his vision for the place.
“The intent of The Piano Man has always been to bring live music to the fore and to create a better ecosystem for musicians and artists. The Piano Man started as a space promoting jazz, and as we grow, we expand the subset of genres we promote.”
“Going forward, our mission is evolving into making live music performances a part of the Dilliwalas week. This cultural shift will take a long time, but we’ve always been here for the stretch,” said Arjun.
The Giants of Jazz festival began at The Piano Man just when they launched in 2015. It brings together artists from all over the world.
“It marks a focal point for our energies over the year,” Gupta quoted.
Bringing Jazz & World Music To Delhi
Many wonderful artists were at the event, and I couldn’t stop catching up with them.
Firstly I came across Simangavole, a female band performing the traditional yet powerful Maloya rythm, the music of the slaves of Reunion island. A UNESCO World Heritage, Maloya is the traditional music of the Reunion. Coming from slavery, it appears since the settlement of the Island, with its slaves from Africa, Madagascar. Forbidden throughout the period of slavery, after the abolition in 1848, the Maloya is still clandestine with a ban from the authorities. It was only in the 1970s that it was allowed to be played in a public place.
“Maloya represents a part of our history, identity, and culture. Hence, it is important to carry it across the world,” said Simangavole with much pride and hope.
There was another band performing there, which piqued my interest for its name, Waxamillion. I mean, they are from Austria, and they rhymed with Maximilian.
“In our small part of Austria, we say “Wax” when something is crazy or wild. And I just added that to my name (Maximilian) and switched the last o to a, so it became “Waxamilion”. Our music is hard to define. Its guitar centered and has lots of different time signatures and modulations with influences from Jazz, Hip Hop and Progressive Metal,” they shared.
Likewise, there was Alexandre Herer, a pianist and keyboardist from France, Colorful People, a Czech-Slovak multigenre band, and more.
You don’t get world music in one place often, and it’s all out there within reach of your city. Next time you plan a weekend or want to listen to good music at any point in the week, month, or year, this place would be a great idea. Take our word for it.