Royal Opera House, Mumbai in association with Avid Learning presents Jazz Appreciation and the Art of Listening, a day-long workshop led by Instrumentalist, Composer and Educator D. Wood who will take music enthusiasts on a wide ranging, insightful journey through the world of Jazz – exploring the music of great Jazz Masters, from decades gone by to the innovators of our times.

The description of the workshop is as below:

This interactive workshop will introduce listeners to the music, creative processes, musicians and instruments that define important aspects of the Jazz tradition. Participants will be encouraged to share personal insights and general knowledge to make positive contributions to the group. A collection of valuable online resources will also be provided for all the participants. The session also stresses on inculcating listening skills and attitudes which will take listeners to a higher level of musical awareness.

Workshop Highlights include:

·       The instruments of Jazz and the Families of Musical Sounds

·       The Building blocks of Music: Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Form

·       The Rhythm sections

·       Anatomy of a Jazz solo

·       Musical Structures: The Blues, Spirituals, Songs from the American Songbook, Modal Jazz, Free Form, other styles

·       The Giants of Jazz and some historical details

·       Great Jazz performances from the archives

Join us for a fascinating workshop which will deepen your understanding of the musical process and develop your ability to identify and analyze different jazz eras and great jazz artistes.

Where: Royal Opera House, Mama Parmanand Marg, Mumbai – 400 004

When: Saturday, 22nd February 2020 | 9:30AM – 4:00PM

About the Instructor

D. Wood, a reputed American musician, has a long association with Mumbai as a performer, composer and educator. Originally in India as a Fulbright research scholar, Wood has spent many years performing and teaching in USA, Europe, Latin America and India and collaborated with many notable musicians during this time. Wood has conducted workshops in many venues internationally including Boston Ballet Company, MIT. Harvard U. Berklee College go Music, Carnegie Hall and with the United States Information Service in West Africa, India and Mexico. He is currently senior faculty for the International Music program at Whistling Woods International film school in Film City Mumbai.

About Partners

Founded by musician, D. Wood and musician and entrepreneur, Rajesh Punjabi, The Bombay Jazz Club is a curated offering for the production of live music performances across different stages. These include large venues/events like the NCPA, official partners of International Jazz Day (founded by Herbie Hancock), prominent festivals such as Tapped, Ziziland, and Kala Godha, to more boutique club and restaurant venues such as Bonobo (Bar Love Food), Mia Cucina, Toast and Tonic, Mustard and Estella to name a few. There is also a specific focus on private/corporate events where we have designed events for the likes of KLM, INVESTARTINDIA, Zoya, Taj Hotels and Resorts, The Raintree Foundation and Glenfiddich, to name a few. The idea is that at any given time we bring together exceptional musicians who are put together to customise a band that suits the event. In this era of "rent vs buy" The Bombay Jazz Club is a true pop up offering ensuring that any environment can be transformed into a jazz club in the moment. Our strength is authentic Jazz and related genres (the blues, soul, funk and indie, both instrumental and vocal) presented in concert / club performances - and educational activities, at universities and other institutes and corporate houses. Based on one of our core values - "Music For Good", The Bombay Jazz Club Foundation ensures that participation in non-profits (for example in the areas of music, rural education and specialised healthcare) that have the highest possible impact in their respective fields.

Royal Opera House, Mumbai is widely touted as Mumbai’s Cultural Crown Jewel and India’s only surviving Opera House. The original idea for the space was conceived of in 1908, inaugurated in 1911 by King George V, and eventually completed in 1916. The design incorporated a blend of European and Indian detailing. The space became a cinema in later years before falling into disrepair and shutting by the 1990s. Fittingly, the space has been owned by the Royal Family of Gondal since 1952 and was eventually restored by conservation architect, Abha Narain Lambah under the leadership of His Highness, Maharaja Shri Jyotendrasinhji of Gondal. The Royal Opera House Mumbai, now one of the last remaining Baroque structures in the city, reopened after 23 years in October 2016. The building was included on the 2012 World Monuments Watch to raise awareness about its history and significance, and support preservation efforts. The building has since been recognized with an Award of Merit in the 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The restored facilities feature a 575-seater 3-level auditorium with an orchestra pit and state of the art technological upgradations, including acoustics, stagecraft, lighting and air-conditioning, alongside retaining the old-world charm of the proscenium stage, the royal boxes and the magnificent regal chandeliers. Some more enhancements to the venue include a motorized screen, co-axial ceiling speaker system, Four-zone volume control and all round wifi access. Today, it stands as a key performance and creative hub in the city’s cultural landscape, while being a premier heritage landmark. Facebook: MumbaiOpera Twitter: @MumbaiOpera Instagram: @mumbaiopera

Avid Learning, the cultural philanthropy arm of the Essar Group founded in 2009 has, over the past decade, grown into one of Mumbai’s leading public programming platforms and is firmly entrenched in the country’s wider cultural ecosystem. Over the years, AVID has gained a reputation for curating thought provoking, innovative and path-breaking content that is intellectually and creatively stimulating and engages with a variety of topical subjects and trends. Our thoughtfully curated and diverse events embrace the spirit of collaboration to bring together the best of Indian and international writers, artists, intellectuals, cultural experts, policymakers and industry leaders across Visual Art, Literature, Culture and Heritage, Education, Design & Technology and the Performing Arts through engaging and dynamic formats like panel discussions, workshops & master classes, roundtables, lecture demonstrations, festival platforms, symposiums & conferences, multidisciplinary performances and walkthroughs. We seek to democratize the arts, create new audiences, and deepen engagement by providing a platform that gives equal access and opportunity to new learners, fresh voices and nascent minds in order to nurture future stakeholders for the creative community in India. To date, AVID has conducted over 1150 programs and connected with more than 140,000 individuals, a widely eclectic group of life-long learners including students, patrons, practitioners, influencers, thought leaders and cultural & creative enthusiasts in Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Goa and Gujarat. We have also made our mark internationally, with events and collaborations in Dubai and New York. We regularly collaborate and partner with institutions, organisations and initiatives like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), one of the apex bodies that impact cultural policy and the creative sector as a whole. We have been at the helm of programming at the Royal Opera House, Mumbai India’s only surviving Opera House since its reopening in 2016. We believe in the importance of arts for social change and we regularly offer our support and platforms for Social Advocacy. Thanks to a dedicated and innovative team, as well as a growing and evolving community of learners, AVID continues to give truth to the belief that Learning Never Stops! To keep updated and attend our events, like us on www.facebook.com/Avidlearning, follow us on www.twitter.com/Avidlearning and Instagram:@avidlearning or log onto www.avidlearning.in