Who has never enjoyed the frenzy of a brass band? If not, there is no way anyone could miss out on the vibrant Indian beats and atmosphere of the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band.

Inherited from the old British Empire, the brass band now belongs, and thrives in Indian culture and tradition, accompanying events such as national or religious celebrations, popular festivals and also life events such as weddings. In India, no marriage is without a brass band!

Hailing from a long family lineage of musicians and sharing his life between Jaipur, the Pink City of Rajasthan which borders on the Thar Desert, and Paris, Hameed Khan Kawa, a tabla maestro and artistic director of Musafir, has known the sound of the brass band since his birth. In its native place, Rajasthan, the brass band is a feature of life itself.

Having performed and taught music at the University of Rajasthan, Hameed was soon appreciated by the elders for the subtlety and quality of his playing and accompanied well-known classical vocalists and instrumentalists in India.

After being invited to France in 1984, he began collaborating with musicians from many different persuasions, such as: The Trio Erik Marchand, a subtle fusion of French Brittany, Arabian and Rajasthani traditions, Narendra Bataju, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Lakshmi Shankar, Chico Bouchiki (Gypsy Kings), Lo’Jo, Thierry Robin, Carolyn Carlson and Musafir. Traveling from one festival to another, Europe to Africa, Asia and North America, Hameed noticed that among all of the musical diversity, brass bands were always very popular. In India, as everywhere else, it seemed to appeal to the audience. Thus, the birth of the first internationally known Indian brass band: Jaipur Kawa Brass Band.

Selecting the best musicians from various brass bands around Rajasthan and with a thorough knowledge of his own musical tradition, combined with his occidental experience, a vibrant repetoir was built. Blending popular themes of Bollywood films, traditional folk music of Rajasthan, with its distinctively Gypsy sound, and combining the structures of Hindustani classical music and all delivered by a ten piece brass brand…no doubt leaves you breathless, delivering an unexpected performance. The Jaipur Kawa Brass Band produces nothing more than high quality musicianship with a unique groove and bounce which resonates with vitality between the band and the crowd and back again!

All tuned and prepared, Jaipur Kawa Brass Band made its debut in 1995 in Europe. Since then, this brass band has firmly established itself on both local and international music scenes, giving successful performances in many festivals such as: Roskilde Festival, Dunya Festival 2004, Mar de Musica, Forum des Cultures Barcelona 2004, Venice Carnival 2004, Expo Suisse 2002, Paleo Festival, Sfinsk Festival, WDR, BBC Radio 3…

The melodies and songs are developed in a very refined way, with well-structured solo performances and dazzling improvisations on the clarinet and the trumpet. The percussionists: a cymbal player, a side drum and a bass drum player, elaborate fast playing with spontaneous improvisations that follow the sophisticated Indian rhythms, providing accompaniment to the Kalbelya dancer in her charming snake dance, the fakir in his astonished acts and of course the band itself.

All together with a fantastic energy and humour, the ten artists of the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band, wearing traditional clothes: colourful turbans, traditional Rajasthani jackets and shiny, camel leather shoes, play on stage or walk in parade and offer nothing less than the soul of the contemporary Indian’s feast.

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