The candles spread across the venue cast a warm, flickering glow over the room, making the entire setup look almost surreal. Sitting there with live jazz filling the space, it was hard to believe that outside was the familiar Delhi chaos – and, somewhere beyond the doors, an hour-long traffic queue waiting to take everyone home.
That was perhaps the most striking part of The Jazz Room: A Journey to the Heart of New Orleans. The beautifully candle-lit evening on August 16 at Piano Man, Eldeco Centre, drew from the rhythm, soul and musical heritage of New Orleans, widely regarded as the birthplace of jazz, but the experience felt less like a lesson in the genre and more like being briefly transported somewhere else.
The singers and musicians set the mood almost instantly. There were moments of mellow, soulful vocals, followed by livelier jazz numbers that seemed to make the room come alive. The candlelight worked beautifully with the music – not just as a visual element, but as something that made the entire evening feel intimate and unhurried.
The response to the jazz experience in Delhi has also surprised the organisers. “The response has, in fact, been largely phenomenal. It surprised us as well,” said Pranjal, spokesperson for Candlelight, adding that several more dates are expected to be added later this year.
Jazz can be a niche genre, particularly when compared with more familiar music formats. But that is also part of the idea, according to the spokesperson. “The idea is to kind of create a market, and that’s why we are kind of… helping the market grow,” he told hindustantimes.com.
At the heart of the initiative is an attempt to make different forms of music more accessible. “The larger goal of both the Jazz Room and Candlelight is to democratise access to music of all forms – Western classical, Indian classical and now, of course, 1920s New Orleans jazz,” the spokesperson said.
The evening also put local musicians in the spotlight, something the initiative considers an important part of its work. “Democratising access is not just about audiences, but also about bringing in local artists,” the spokesperson said, adding that the team often works with musicians over a longer term and gives them multiple opportunities to perform.
But for the audience, the appeal was perhaps much simpler: an hour away from the noise outside.
For those 60 minutes, there were no horns blaring in traffic, no impatient drivers and no endless Delhi commute. Just candlelight giving the venue a glow-up, beautiful voices, jazz and a room that, for a little while, didn’t feel like Delhi at all.
