Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Colin D-Cruz Lives Jazz - Goan Music Crusader

His journey into music began with playing at some of the best hotels in Mumbai like the JW Marriot Hotel and Taj Land’s End with his indo-jazz fusions ensembles. Despite having no formal training in music, he scaled the ladder of success by listening to music, playing in bands and learning the rudiments through music theory books. Ten years of playing six nights a week was his ‘elementary school of music’, as he himself puts it. His love for music took him many places and Colin toured with some of the big names in Bollywood music like Asha Bhosle, Sonu Nigam and Shubha Mudgal. One of the highlights of his career so far has been performing overseas on the world-renowned Hennessy XO jazz tour in 2005.

His journey into music began with playing at some of the best hotels in Mumbai like the JW Marriot Hotel and Taj Land’s End with his indo-jazz fusions ensembles. Despite having no formal training in music, he scaled the ladder of success by listening to music, playing in bands and learning the rudiments through music theory books. Ten years of playing six nights a week was his ‘elementary school of music’, as he himself puts it. His love for music took him many places and Colin toured with some of the big names in Bollywood music like Asha Bhosle, Sonu Nigam and Shubha Mudgal. One of the highlights of his career so far has been performing overseas on the world-renowned Hennessy XO jazz tour in 2005.

Colin Lives Jazz!! Colin has made his way up through the different genres of music but his forte and best-loved musical genre is Jazz. Passionate about jazz, Colin D’Cruz says jazz is improvised music much akin to Indian classical music! It’s no surprise then that he expresses himself best through jazz combined with a variety of other musical genres like rock, pop, funk, hip-hop and indo fusion.

Colin is the latest entrant in the musical scene here in Goa, bringing with him a wide repertoire of jazz music. His own jazz yatra has led him to producing a radio show where he broadcasts the best of what he’s recorded. If you tune in to 105.4 FM Rainbow at 10 pm every Monday and you will hear some wonderful jazz music created right here in Goa. Or if you’d like to listen to some amazing, innovative music, you can log on to the radio station at www.jazzgoa.com and hear Colin’s production or selection of brilliant jazz tunes.

He has brought jazz into the limelight in Goa with his organization called ‘Jazz Goa’. Jazz Goa was set up by musicians and jazz lovers in Goa to promote local talent, giving them a platform to perform locally as well as grow to international levels. Colin believes that Goa is going to be the next jazz hub of India since Goa is on the itinerary of almost every jazz artiste visiting India. Goa being an international tourist destination, a jazz concert here would attract worldwide audiences, says Colin.

A music crusader of Goa, giving a boost to youngsters And now that Colin has made Goa his base, he has started his own music studio at his tiny residence at Sangolda and turned his dream into reality. Here Colin will be recording his own music and producing his own CDs as well as giving a boost to both professional and amateur jazz artistes who wish to avail of his studio’s facilities.

Constantly assimilating and evolving, he has set out to help other young musicians. He has also been approached by a Government run TV channel to produce a jazz show with local talent. He is working to create a platform to launch amateur Goan artistes like singers Leo Vaz and Minelli Pinto, who have either written or played original tracks. From those recorded, the best will be telecast initially in Goa and later across India. So what started as a casual recording from Colin’s studio at Sangolda has taken wing to reach out to audiences over radio and now television, soon to touch the jazz netizens.

Widening his musical horizons along the way, Colin D’Cruz now performs several genres of music with different musical ensembles, produces his own compositions, solos and jingles, and one can unhesitatingly say, loves every minute of it! Intermittently, he continues to perform at concerts and corporate events in Goa and all over India and internationally as well. His innovation and exploration in jazz has even led to the creation of ‘mando jazz’ and putting Goa on the international jazz scene. He deserves recognition much beyond the shores and borders of India’s tiny little State of Goa


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