Joint Family Internationale
Joint Family Internationale has swept many awards with their hit single ‘Netaji’. Anurag Zimba, vocalist of the band speaks about the band’s music and of course, Jazzmandu 2013.
How would you define the music that you’ll be presenting at Jazzmandu?
The songs and music that we play is rooted in reggae. In my opinion, reggae music makes for an easy listen. It can be enjoyed by children as well as those older in years.
So, what will the band perform for the audience?
We have half an hour of performance and we’ll be presenting reggae numbers with a twist. That is, presenting them in a jazz version.
How important is music festivals for bands?
The kind of exposure we get through music festivals is a huge advantage for bands and musicians. Also, artists from all over the world will be arriving and converging in festivals like Jazzmandu. I’m looking forward to meeting them.
Gandharva
Gandharva is known for their traditional style of storytelling through sarangi. Bukun Gandharva says the band will be performing for the eighth time at Jazzmandu and they’re looking forward to the performance as always.
How excited are you for Jazzmandu 2013?
We’ve been associated with Jazzmandu for around eight years now and we always have a good time. Of course, we’re excited to be part of this year’s edition too. Meeting other artists, local and international, at the festival is part of the charm as we’ll definitely not recognize them if we meet them on the road!
Do you have anything new for this year?
We will put on our daura suruwal and dhaka topi and play sarangi and madal. We’ve actually been asked to present our regular music in the festival and that’s our plan for this year.
How is the preparation going?
Well, we’re ready for the performance. Since we’ll be singing our old songs, we didn’t feel the tneed to practice comprehensively.
Dhime Girls
Dhime Girls are the first all girl group who play the traditional Newari musical instruments. Indira Lachhimasyu, who will be playing dhime at the festival, says the girls are very eager about their performance.
How excited are you for Jazzmandu 2013?
Pretty excited. It’s great that we can present Newari cultural music to a larger audience through the festival.
How well do you think the international artists and guests will enjoy your music?
The music from dhime is synonymous to fun and festivities, so I’m sure that those in the audience will like it. We’ve had concerts in many places and blended perfectly well with guitars and drums. Hence, even those from outside of Nepal will be able to enjoy the music.
How are the Dhime Girls preparing for their performance?
Out of the 10 of us, only four will be performing at the concert. At the request of the organizers, we will be playing dhime, sichyay and thuchyay for our listeners. We’re prepared and can’t wait to get started!
Cadenza Collective
Jazzmandu has Navin Chhetri of Cadenza Collective – the band known for blending various world music like funk, afrobeat and Nepali classical and funk – excited. This year, Cadenza fans have something new to look forward to at the festival.
Do you have anything new for your listeners?
We’re very excited as we’ll be performing a couple of songs from our new album. The plan is to launch the album a bit later but we want to launch a couple of the new songs during Jazzmandu.
Is there any artist in particular you’re looking forward to meeting at the festival?
Since it took a long time of planning and conversation to organize the festival, I’m excited to meet with every single artist. However, I’m most looking forward to meeting John Hollenbeck from the band, Claudia Quintet.
Would you like to say something about the festival to music lovers?
I’d say come and enjoy the festival. It only happens once a year and it’s perhaps the only opportunity for many to listen to the international artists.
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