Blue Light Special

KARACHI, March 3: Karachi seems to have caught the jazz bug. For the second time in as many weeks, the city was treated to a performance of jazz standards, this time at a high-end restaurant located in the city’s upscale Zamzama area.

Whereas last week three foreigners and one local musician regaled the audience at the city’s Arts Council’s auditorium, this time it was a quartet of local musicians who set the tone of the night with their ice-cool renditions. Featuring Gerard Manilov on the guitar, Arif Barucha on bass, Hilary Furtado playing saxophone and Jason of popular local rock band Aaroh behind the drum kit, the foursome exuded a steely sense of cool while delivering the moody tunes with style and panache.

Patrons of the restaurant continued to trickle in, in dribs and drabs as the event, scheduled for an 8pm start, didn’t get underway till around 10pm. Jazz, however, wasn’t the only thing on the melodic menu, as this untrained ear also caught hold of some blues scales within the set. This is not unusual, as the two forms of popular music, originated in the early 20th century United States, often converge and complement each other.

While Jason was the youngest member of the group, the other three were senior musicians, and one would hazard a guess that they were all members of the Goan community, one of this city’s many ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities. Among other things, this community is known for producing talented musicians, many performing with some of the most successful local pop and rock acts.

Although the quartet has only been playing together for a few days, the three senior musicians – Arif, Hilary and Gerard – in their own words have been in the game for ‘donkey’s ears.’ Though it was a little before this writer’s time, the gig reconstructed memories of what Karachi’s night-life might have been like in the seventies, complete with smartly attired musicians, smoke machines, blue mood lighting and smooth jazz wafting into the night sky.

These old time musicians are an asset to this city and its cultural scene. One hopes that along with the brash young pop pretenders that have become ubiquitous, these guys get the respect, rewards and recognition that is certainly their due.

The gig was hosted by Déjà Vu restaurant.—QAM

First Published:
The Metropolitan
March 3, 2007

note: this review, although not written by me, is a review of the first event that my firm, Vintage Media did for Docker's Sanfrancisco at my restaurant! :)