For someone who has created ripples in the music industry across
the country with his talent and mesmerising performances, José Neil Gomes from
Benaulim comes across as a very humble and modest man. This young rising star,
who was part of the star ensemble that performed at the International Jazz Live
Festival in India, was in Goa for the festival’s Goa leg, where he collaborated
with Jazz legend Erik Truffaz.
“So I heard his music three years ago,
through a drummer friend, and got obsessed with it for a few months as it
resonated with the ideas that are close to me in music, the melody and the
minimalism,” says José, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer.
“Playing at the Jazz festivals across the
country was a great experience. The Erik Truffaz tour helped me understand
myself better as a person and a musician, especially at the Goa Jazz concert. I
experimented with Konkani verses in the set. Also, this was new and informative
as I have usually been associated with almost every other genre like pop rock,
blues, funk drum and bass, electronic music,” adds José.
Having studied in Goa and even spending
some time at the seminary before moving to Bombay, José had picked up the
violin, piano, viola, cello, guitar, ukelele mandolin and wind section like the
flute, clarinet, harmonica, saxophones, etc.
Speaking about the seven years at the
seminary, José explains that it was where he understood the idea of harmony
through all the choral and orchestral music he was a part of, as well as the
intricacy of classical and chamber music.
From that experience, to having spent the
next years in Bombay, he also started playing jazz, blues, funk, rock and also
concentrated on his singing and generally expanding his horizons as a musician.
“I’ve met the most unbelievable musicians, incredibly talented
individuals and that has always pushed me to keep getting better, improving
myself every month,” adds José, while describing his time in Bombay.
After playing close to some 2,000 shows, and collaborating with
artistes all over the country, and some artistes around the world, he decided
it was time to make his own music.
“The reason I make music is to firstly express what I feel all
the time, and then share it with people who have probably gone through the same
feeling as I have and see if I can uplift their mood, or make them feel better
or worse!”, he expresses.
While he had already started writing tunes early into his
career, he never got much time from his hectic recording and travelling
schedule.
Two years ago, he released his first EP, ‘Systematic’, and
followed it up with two more EPs, knowing that these were just demos to the
music that would follow.
“Finally, after ten years of immersing myself solely into sound
and aesthetic, I have an album called ‘Google Maps For Lovers’ that is ready
for release this month,” reveals José, who considers this album to be a tribute
to a city (Bombay) that helped shape and provide impetus and inspiration to his
journey so far.
Speaking about how this journey began, José recalls the time he
was participating in almost every event that came his way, when he got a call
from Sidd Couto to join his band – Tough on Tobacco. “There was no looking back
since then. One thing led to another, and being as open as I was to all forms
of music, I ended up in innumerable set ups and bands,” he adds.
Between freelancing with some twelve bands, José also taught
music in two schools, while also scoring private tuitions in South Bombay. At
that point, his career and life changed when he got called to play for one of
the most renowned independent bands in the country – Kailash Kher’s band
Kailasa. He travelled with them to many countries across the world. “The boys
from Kailasa- Paresh Kamath, Naresh Kamath, Kurt Peters have been inspiring and
supportive,” he states.
He then got to travel with Sunidhi Chauhan’s band for about
three years, simultaneously.
“All this travelling and the music that it exposed me to helped
in my learning process and got me attached to folk music in a big way. So much
so that I wanted to travel on my own and explore folk music around the world,
while making my own music and producing it,” he says.
Another
aspect of his career that was getting fulfilled was his absolute fondness for
improvisations, and jamming with strangers. “I’ve been lucky to play at some
really prestigious venues across the world like Royal Opera House in London,
Apollo Hammersmith in London, Nokia Theater in LA, and innumerable symphony
halls around Europe and North America. Union Square in New York and the likes,”
says José, who also feels lucky to have been part of prestigious music
festivals around the world like Oslo Folk Music Festival, CNE Festival in
Canada, Chutney Festival in the Caribbean Islands and other festivals in
Bulgaria, Asia, Africa, etc
