Octogenarian Jazz legend from Goa gets celebrated in home state ---------------------------------------------------------------- Goanet
Many of Goa's best musicians have been neglected for decades. But this month, a citizens' initiatve from Goa will pay tribute to a prominent Goan Jazz saxophonist -- Braz Gonsalves -- an octogenarian who is said to have started his journey playing the sax in a circus. Film-maker Nalini Elvino de Sousa (nalini.so...@lotusfilmsgoa.com), and a team of supporters, have announced plans in Goa to make Gonsalves the theme of a musical in mid-June and later the subject of a documentary film scheduled to be ready sometime after the monsoons. Braz Gonsalves can be heard here, in a 1972 live recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-_coJv1gFQ He grew into a renowned saxophone player, and today only plays gospels. According to the Wikipedia: "In 1979, along with Goan saxophonist Braz Gonsalves, Louis Banks [the Gorkha-descent musician considered to be the godfather of Indian jazz] formed the Indo-Jazz Ensemble, composing music on Indian classical scales and Jazz rhythms, incorporating Indian instruments like [the] ghatam and thavil". In Goa, the 'Raga Rock' musical is to be staged on June 14, 2019 at the Kala Academy (Panjim) and the next day at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, startingi on both days at 7 pm. Maria Meireles (+91-9112729903), the artiste, singer and music conductor from Portugal, is its musical director. Meireles and Jazz pianist Jason Quadros have recreated the scores for the musical. Sunshine Worldwide English teacher Sandeep Doifode is assisting Meireles with the direction. Sixteen children of different backgrounds -- aged 12-17 and taking part ina musical for the first time -- will act, sing and dance. "The musical will tell Braz's story, starting from his childhood, when he started to play the violin, to his journey to Mumbai where he became The Braz Gonsalves, to meeting the love of his life, and eventually the tragedy that changd his life and turned him to God," organisers said here. Lotus Film and TV Production -- run by Sousa, herself an accomplished documentary producer, and team -- will narrate his journey and also include footage of his performances in Macau, Portugal and other parts of the globe. To fund the documentary, a crowdfunding initiative has been announced at http://www.ketto.org/RagaRockMusical Tickets for the mid-June event will be available two days earlier, and the show will include the musical from 7 pm to 7.50 pm, The Coffee Cats (a young band in Goa that plays a wide range of music from smooth jazz to classic rock) from 8 pm to 8.40 pm and Braz Gonsalves and his friends from 8.40 to 9.30 pm. This photo is by Lui Godinho (Goan photographer now based in the UK) when Braz Gonsalves performed in the MPT Hall in Vasco sometime in the 1970s. Lui writes: "He played to saxaphones at one go -- tenor and suprano". https://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/48010011163/in/dateposted/ See this 2016-released short film by St Xavier's College, Mapusa, Goa, students Shugan Dias, Kristion Colaco and Jarryd Rodrigues titled 'Braz and All that Jazz': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYGaJEdgEhU -- FN* फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या * فريدريك نورونيا +91-9822122436 AUDIO RECORDINGS: https://archive.org/details/goa1556 TEXT: http://bit.ly/2SBx41G PIX: http://bit.ly/2Rs1xhl Can't get through on mobile? Please SMS/WhatsApp