Jazzmandu 2010
by Scott Coates
A gig at a previous Jazzmandu
In October 2006 I arrived in Kathmandu for the inaugural installment of the Nepal Grand Slam, our first trip outside Thailand. That first night, Mads, our Nepal Team member extraordinaire took me just outside the city proper to the Gorkhana Forest Resort and a hotel which was then a le Meridien for a concert that was part of Jazzmandu 2006. It’s still one of my favorite memories of Nepal after many trips and four years later.
Started in 2003, the festival is entering its sixth installment having missed a couple years here and there. The brainchild of Chhedup Bomzan of The Upstairs Jazz Bar, one of Kathmandu’s top spots to drink, eat, listen and be merry, the festival has a pretty cool and straightforward mission statement: To put Kathmandu on the International Jazz Circuit.
A gig at Patan
The festival is most of all a collection of musicians, most not well known, who love music, travel and Nepal. Venues range from small – Upstairs Bar to larger but intimate like the Patan Museum. It’s the venues that really make Jazzmandu special. Taking in a concert at a venue that’s hundreds of years old, sitting atop a small brick wall that was built by hand as temple roofs gleam in the background is something that can only be in Nepal.
Having been born in 1973 I missed out on large concerts like Woodstock and the collection of interesting people who met at such events. My one night at Jazzmandu is the closest I’ve ever been to that. That night at Gorkhana I met diplomats, hotel owners, international reporters, NGO workers, locals and musicians all together for the love of music, the country and the company of others. It was one of the friendliest atmospheres I’ve ever known.
A gig at Upstairs Bar
Having missed a year in 2009, Jazzmandu 2010 is on track for October 28-November 2 and Smiling Albino plans to be there. We’re currently modifying the Nepal Grand Slam for a special one-time installment that will take guests to all the gigs, then on a brand new trek in the Annapurna Range. In addition we’ll also be offering a shorter six-day trip that will concentrate on Jazzmandu and sites in the Kathmandu Valley. This event is simply too good to miss and something to be part of before it’s a major stop on the international jazz circuit.
Jazzmandu’s founder Chhedup has been driving Smiling Albino guests around the capital on his Royal Enfield motorcycle since our first trip, has been an outstanding host to us at Upstairs Bar and has guaranteed this year’s festival is going to be the best yet.
Keep your eyes peeled on our website for these two special trips which are sure to sell-out quickly. I hope to see you there!
Photos courtesy of: http://jazzmandu.org.
