Pianist Jesus Molina wows audience at his debut India show

Though it was a weekday, the Tata Theatre at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, attracted a huge crowd. One spotted a large number of musicians who had come to hear Colombian jazz pianist, Jesus Molina. At 27, he has created such waves on the concert circuit and YouTube that aficionados were curious to watch him perform live.

In the 90-minute set played with the band Los Dromers, Jesus fulfilled all expectations, taking the audience on a musical tour of South America. From samba to salsa, bossa nova to timba, he played musical styles from Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Chile, Puerto Rico and his native Colombia, also fusing it with American jazz and other global sounds. Energetic compositions or dreamy ballads, he created magic on the grand piano and Nord keyboards.

Twin drummers

What was interesting was the line-up, as a special jumbo-kit was set up to accommodate two simultaneously-playing drummers — Juan Pablo Faundez from Chile and Danilo Amuedo from Brazil. They were joined by Israeli bassist Guy Bernfeld. During a conversation after the show, Jesus said, “They are incredible musicians, who are my friends first. It’s a privilege to perform and tour with them. Guy is a sensation on the bass. It’s an honour to have him as a music director and performer.”

Their chemistry was just right, as they played in unison and yet gave each other space for improvisation. Most tunes were taken from Jesus Molina’s albums ‘Departing’, ‘Agape’ and ‘Cello Stories’, with some pieces being rearranged to suit the current line-up. The title track of ‘Departing’ received a huge response, with Jesus playing majestically. Released in 2020, it was his first album with ReWax Records of France. “I was at that stage of my life when I was confused and wanted to do something different. The album thus represented a new direction, the fact that I was ‘departing’ from my older ideas and life,” he recalled

Indeed, Jesus has come a long way. Born in Sincelego in Colombia, he was the first musician from his family, and started learning the saxophone because his mother loved the instrument. He said, “I did it for her. But when I was 15, I switched to the piano since it offered immense possibilities. It has 88 keys, such a vast range and all the chords are possible.”

Jesus played a few gigs, and attracted the attention of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, which arranged a scholarship at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. There, his interests moved beyond South American music to American jazz. Pianist Oscar Peterson became his idol, and that changed the way he approached music. He was also inspired by pianists Art Tatum and Erroll Garner among others.

Jesus Molina
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Special Arrangement

Improvisational skills

Initially, he went about rearranging popular tunes. His versions of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie’s ‘A Night In Tunisia’ and pianist Chick Corea’s ‘Spain’ became well-known. Before playing the latter at the Mumbai show, he asked the audience to identify it. They did so immediately on hearing the main melody, though Jesus improvised the later parts to give it a different dimension.

Jesus said that when it came to adapting popular tunes, he just had to approach them differently. “I started to play the same thing over and over again in the jam sessions, and that’s exactly how we came to the arrangements.”

Besides being the leader, Jesus has collaborated with renowned artistes for concerts and recordings. The list includes trumpeters Arturo Sandoval and Randy Becker, singer Jesus Adrian Romero, bassist John Patitucci, saxophonist Eric Marienthal, keyboardist Jordan Rudess, guitarist Mike Stern and drummer Dave Weckl. Some of these encounters have interesting stories. He met Sandoval on Instagram, and got invited to his place. He met John five years ago at the Made In New York jazz competition, and Weckl when he got a call from his manager. “I’m working on a duet album with Weckl,” he said.

The pianist’s next record is due in September. It has guest appearances by Sandoval, bassist Nathan East, gospel group Take 6 and percussionist Sheila E. When he isn’t recording or touring, Jesus is busy conducting masterclasses or online courses.

For many of the musicians and music students in the audience, his Mumbai performance was like a masterclass. It wasn’t just a display of technical wizardry, but a lesson in showmanship. Besides playing the piano and keys, Jesus sang a few tracks too. At one point, he had the crowd sing with him, thus making the show interactive. A few minutes later, he and the bassist exchanged instruments, both having fun in the process. He also called Mumbai bassist Mohini Dey for a quick jam. Lots of good work, and a bit of play, made Jesus Molina a fantastic artiste to watch.