How musicians and listeners in the country are going big on Blues

Weeks before the festival, fans make enquiries about the line-up and ensure their season passes are in place. Some even travel to Mumbai from Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi, Shillong and even Anantapur to attend the Mahindra Blues Festival (MBF), held at Mehboob Studio in the second weekend of February.

“It’s a place where blues lovers of the country congregate,” says guitarist Arinjoy Sarkar, whose Kolkata-based band The Arinjoy Trio is part of the line-up this time.

To be held on February 11 and 12, this year will also feature blues legends Buddy Guy and Taj Mahal (2023 Grammy winner), the incredibly talented Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram and Argentine guitarist Ivan Singh. The Karan Mahajan Band, which won the Band Hunt competition, will have a special set. Buddy Guy, who is on his seventh tour of India and fifth appearance at MBF, is famously quoted as saying in 2015 that ‘The Blues lives here’. But the blues season does not end with MBF.

On March 18 and 19, the Mumbai-based National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) hosts Soulful Blues. The line-up comprises Beatrice Kahl and Natalie Williams, who blend the blues, soul and jazz.

The Arinjoy Trio -Arinjoy (guitar, vocals in centre), Sounak Roy (drums; left) and Aakash Ganguly (bass; right)
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Indian blues acts

Like in many other parts of the world, the genre has a specific but devoted following in India. Some of the world’s most famous blues musicians have performed at MBF. While Taj Mahal will make a second appearance, past performers have included John Mayall, Jimmie Vaughan, Charlie Musselwhite, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Beth Hart, Larkin Poe, Keb Mo, Joss Stone, Shemekia Copeland and Ana Popovic. The festival has featured Indian blues acts such as Soulmate, Blackstratblues, The Arinjoy Trio, Saturday Night Blues Band and Overdrive Trio.

Rudy Wallang, founder and guitarist of Shillong band Soulmate, says MBF has definitely been a shot in the arm. “The obvious advantage is the number of big acts who have performed here. They also go back and talk about the festival, so people abroad get to know of the blues scene in India.” Adds Arinjoy Sarkar, “I have never seen a more receptive audience.”

Before MBF was launched, Mumbai had the One Tree Music Festival, which included a blend of rock, blues and funk. The festival travelled to other cities, and also featured non-blues acts. The country has also witnessed shows by blues artistes Jeremy Spencer, Joe Beard, Dana Gillespie and Mud Morganfield, son of icon Muddy Waters.

The Karan Mahajan Band, winner of this year’s band hunt. Tanisha Bhatnagar (bass); Gurpreet Kaur (vocals); Karan Mahajan (guitar); Ravali Komanapally (keys); and Siddharth Jain (drums).
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The idea of having a full-fledged blues festival came from the Mahindras. Flagged off in 2011, MBF’s most special thing is its venue — the 70-year-old film studio. Says V.G. Jairam, founder of event promoter Hyperlink Brand Solutions, “When we started our concept discussion with Mr Anand Mahindra in 2010, the first thing we felt was that we needed a unique venue that stood out in all aspects including layout and approach. The Mehboob Khan family supports art and culture in a big way, and they loved the idea of having a blues festival there.”

Perfect musical setting

Says Jairam, “We have two enclosures of different sizes, a garden, an area for the bar and concert display, sales of vinyl records, and an open-air food court. It’s a complete experience.” Interestingly, the two enclosures are called the Polka Dot Parlour, inspired by Buddy Guy’s shirts and guitar, and Soulstrat Salon, named after the bands Soulmate and Blackstratblues.

Jairam says promoting local talent has been one of the festival’s priorities, He adds: “The Mahindra Blues Band Hunt continues to be our discovery platform, and over a 100 blues acts have participated. Anand Mahindra also initiated the Blues In Schools project to promote the genre at the grassroots level in schools. In 2020, 20 girls of the Nanhi Kali choir learnt the mouth organ for over two months and performed at the MBF Garden Stage. Now, Felix Hug of the Kanakia International School will train the choir.”

The biggest challenge, of course, is to find international artistes who are available in mid-February. Often, the organisers start with a list of 60, 70 or, maybe, even a 100 acts, and then the elimination process happens depending on the availability of the artistes. “Simultaneously, we see what’s happening around the globe, and look for artistes who are locally popular,” says Jairam.

A MBF performance
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This year’s festival takes place after a three-year gap. While blues fans are looking forward to the shows this weekend, the festival has had its critics too. Says blues aficionado Vineet Chugani, “Not everyone can afford to come from other cities for this festival.”

Though the general feeling is that MBF is a world-class event, musicians and fans believe a lot more needs to be done to spread the blues culture. Festivals like Simply The Blues in Mumbai and Ode To The Blues in Bengaluru took place for a few years, and the Shillong Blues & Jazz Festival and Kasauli Rhythm & Blues Festival have hosted blues acts. However, there has been a slowdown post-Pandemic.

Shortage of venues

According to Rudy, the biggest challenge has been the shortage of dedicated venues. He says, “We have a few jazz venues in the big cities, and some of them have occasional blues acts. But considering that there are many talented youngsters, there is a need for more venues.” Despite the odds, some bands like Delhi-based Big Bang Blues love touring and spreading the message. Teenagers such as harmonica player Rohan Singhal and guitarist Amithav Gautam have shown promise.

Rudy also points out that one good sign is that there are more youngsters in the audience today.

Regular MBF attendees have their own stories to tell about how they grabbed plectrums tossed in the air, got hold of the set list handwritten by the artiste, or sang along with Beth Hart. Music buff Ramon Ryder was lucky to meet Shepherd backstage. Raaj D.S.V., working in Anantapur, recalls how when heading home after two memorable nights at MBF, he was thrilled to meet Buddy Guy at the airport. This year will have more such anecdotes. For a few days, social media will be on a blues overdrive.

Charlie Musselwhite at MBF
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