The stage was set brilliantly at the club last Friday for lovers of jazz and world music.Diageo, the global behemoth and seller of ardent spirits, brought to the club an amalgamation of light and sound, bringing lovers of jazz to flock our lawns in droves.

 The evening started off with homegrown band ZIBA - the opening act of the evening  - who kicked off with their heady mix with a 500 year old tune originally made popular by the 15th century mystic poet Kabir. Keeping things tight and musically dynamic,  ZIBA unleashed their collective chops unabashedly, taking us on a musical journey of Persia, West-Africa, Mongolia, America and Bengal.

Expertly fusing west-African rhythms with the sounds of Bob Marley's West-Indian origined 'I shot the sheriff', a perennial hit with the crowd, guitarist Amyt Dutta, vocalist Orko Bannerjee, percussionist Deboprotim Bakshi, Drummer Ritoban Das and extraordinarily talented bassist Aakash Ganguly ensured that the crowd was having a good time. 

It's great to be represented locally and the band showcased their musical chops tune-after-tune with brilliance. Cooking globally yet serving locally, ZIBA's deliciously tasty gumbo was received warmly by the crowd.

 After a 20 minute changeover break, the main act of the evening,Lucky Chops, started off with a bang playing their brand of brass-fronted east coast funk. Blending subtle nuances like a finely blended malt whiskey, Lucky Chops enthralled the crowd mixing funk with jazz and American pop, playing their versions of hits like Train’s ‘Hey Soul Sister’ and the 70’s  deep funk of Herbie Hancock’s hit ‘Chameleon’ from his ‘Headhunters’ album, Lucky Chops finely delivered musical hits and original compositions with fire.

 One can only hope that the club continues to present such evenings regularly, encouraging global and local acts to come together on a single platform.