Indian Jazz At The London Jazz Festival

I went to a double-bill of Indian jazz musicians last night at the Southbank Centre as part of the London Jazz Festival.  I've never seen so many South Asians at a jazz concert!

First up was the Arun Ghosh Quartet.  Led by the energetic Ghosh, they combined eastern sounds with a rocking rhythim with Arun's melodious clarinet and his bandmate's vibraphone on top.  It worked. 

 

The main bill was Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer and their band.  A much different, freer style and sound than the opening act, Rudresh has some pipes.  But I think I preferred the energy and sound of the Arun Ghosh Quartet.  The most annoying thing was when people in the audience started to leave in between songs, presumably to catch their trains on a sunday evening.  The band took it in good stride, buet hopefully someone told them that it was due to transportation and not people's dislike of their music.