Ozma:Explosive Jazz

by SHITU RAJBHANDARI

FROM ISSUE # 159 (March 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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The saxophone blows out a soft tune as the drums thumps to the beat. The bass guitar strums along and like little children in a well-rehearsed school play, each instrument takes centre stage as the listener gets lost in the music. There is something about jazz music that compels the listener to sway to its beat.

Jazz music is not new to Kathmanduites, as of late they have had ample opportunities to enjoy its sounds. From the large crowd that comes together for the annual Jazzmandu to weekly performances at various bars and pubs, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the jazz-bug is very much alive and biting in the Valley.

The first bite of the year will come in the form of Ozma, a French quintet jazz band, who will perform and interact with Nepali musicians and listeners from 25 to 29 March. Organised by Alliance Française in Kathmadu along with Jazz Club in Nepal & India and the Infinity International on the occasion of the Miles Music Festival, the project, as they like to call it, focuses on providing a platform for the band members of Ozma to share their musical know-how with the Nepali musicians and vice versa. The event is aimed at exchanging ideas and discovering the rich cultural and musical traditions of Nepal. Along with that, there will also be workshop sessions at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory along with a big performance by Ozma on 27 March at the Army Auditorium.

Ozma is a five member group with Adrien Dennefeld on guitar, Edouard Séro-Guillaume on bass, David Florsch on saxophone, Guillaume Nuss on trombone and Stéphane Scharlé on percussion. Named after a character from The Wizard of Oz as well as the 'extra galactic life research' program of the NASA, Ozma was formed seven years ago. In the span of five years (2006), Ozma was able to bag the award for the Best French group at the National Jazz Competition. Similarly, the band's trombone player Guillaume Nuss was awarded the Solo-ist of the Year the same year.

Famous for the flights of imagination in their music, which they say is a fine balance between good homework and instant improvisation mixed with a generous amount of humour, fans of the band often refer to their music as 'ozmic' which rhymes with cosmic. The band believes that the wonderful relationship between the members, which helps in instrumental synthesis of their ideas, is their strongest point. Their compatibility on a human level is reflected in their music as ideas come naturally and is very original mainly because of their spontaneity.

So there you have it, Jazz lovers, another reason to get your dancing shoes out and sway to the tunes of Ozma. We guarantee that it's going to be unlike anything you have ever heard before as the band themselves ask those expecting predictable jazz notes to stay home.

Ozma and the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory
25-26 March,
afternoon Workshops and
meeting local artists at KJC

Ozma Concert
27 March, 6pm
Army Auditorium- Shava Mandap

Ozma and Nepali musician-
A unique shared-repertoire concert
28 March, 7pm
Dhokaima Café