As the weekend came to a halt, and the sun rose over Goa on
Monday, November 30, the tint over Bogmalo was certainly rosier, and the last
few notes that emanated from the smouldering embers of the Goa International
Jazz Live Festival (GIJLF) were certainly bluer. People who had gathered along
Vasco’s coastline the previous evening were in the process of waking up to a
Monday that was certainly brighter
than that of those that hadn’t been able to attend the musical melee.
As the three day-long GIJLF came to a close (to overwhelming
response at that), the organisers haven’t taken a breather, but are already
planning the next edition. Founder Member of Art Escape and The Live Music
Project Vinesh Iyer quips, “Well, you can’t blame us for wanting to get started
on the next one already. We had a great crowd response, and to bandy about the
figure of approximately 2,000 visitors to the festival over its course of time
is very realistic. We are completely overwhelmed and so proud to have been able
to pull it off.”
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And he isn’t the only one who feels that way either. The
headlining act that brought the festival to a close, Gabacho Maroconnection
from Morocco has rated it in their top three gigs performed across the world,
and have stated to anyone who would listen that this event is by far ‘the best
of its kind’ in India.
An attendee at the festival, jazz aficionado Pandurang
Pednekar from Panjim had a few observations of his own. “The event was well
organised, and at a great
location, with a gorgeously full moon shining through the trees adorned with
lanterns. The live music had a warmth that just cut through the otherwise
pleasant chill in the air. All in all, it was a tremendous festive vibe with
the tarot card readers, art exhibit and auctions just adding to the eclectic
mix,” he opines.
While many people had their fair share of concerns regarding
the logistics involved with getting to Bogmalo from more populated fronts, such
as Panjim or Margao, the venue is one thing that Vinesh believes is a huge
seller of the festival itself, listing it amongst the festival’s many
highlights. “Stone Water Eco Resort provided us with a world-class venue. Right
from the setting to the up-market vibe that it lent to the festival, we think
that the festival has truly come to life here,” he says.
However, these festivals do tend to run on more than just
goodwill and the audience and performers having a good time. Money is, as it
always is, invariably involved. And for the team at Art Escape and The Live
Music Project, this aspect of things is no different than the rest of the
world. “This time around, we had to work around the clock to ensure we had the funds to just put this
together. It was an uphill battle, and to be fair, the thought has crossed our
mind over the last couple of editions that if there is no funding, we may have
to, sooner rather than later, stop hosting these events. The revenue model on
the whole needs reworking, as events in India don’t work on ticket sales alone,
and an additional financial backer is required in order to get things moving,”
he shares, thinking over the event planning process.
So the question is, would people be willing to come on board
and help take this festival to a whole new level and elevate its platform to
hitherto unexpected (or perhaps expected) heights; or are we seeing a massive
festival, that is in the process of putting Goa on India’s map, end shortly
after a fantastic run forward? It’s a loaded question, doubtlessly, and one
that the Art Escape and The Live Music Project team hope will be answered in a
positive nature.
