After touring with Dr L. Subramaniam, Frijo Francis of Frijo’s Not Yet Jazz is all set to perform his tunes in namma city this weekend. Started in 2013, the pianist/composer wanted to raise the bar of Jazz scene in India by reaching out to a wider audience. Frijo has been actively experimenting with various other genres of music like rock, Western classical and Indian ragas as well!
Like most musicians, Frijo realised at an early age that he didn’t want to get into the corporate sector just for the sake of money. “I learnt the piano for 11 years while pursuing my academics. But I made a choice to stick to music because it’s what I enjoy the most,” explains the musician who has performed in Mumbai, and parts of Europe when he was on tour with Dr. L. Subramaniam.
“It was like a personal lifetime achievement for me because he is so encouraging and open minded towards new artistes. He gives everybody equal importance and space to perform their pieces,” gushes Frijo, about the critically acclaimed violinist maestro.
Putting his thoughts and feelings into work, is what Frijo tries to focus on. “For musicians, it is important to find our sound in music. I want to work with people who want to create a change through music and make a mark on the world. Which is why I’m quite selective about who I want to work with,” says the artiste.
“I want to work with everybody but that is not possible if I’m part of a band. Most musicians these days prefer being solo artistes so they can collaborate with others in order to get maximum experience and exposure. That’s not possible if you are already committed to one band. You can’t explore the field and your options,” Frijo says, opening up about why he hasn’t formed a band of his own yet.
The 29-year-old artiste, regards his instrument as his best friend. “You can hear me through my instrument,” he smiles. “But I don’t just create jazz anymore. I like taking the real flavour of music and making it more interesting by fusing it with a hint of rock and classical music. It’s not entirely Jazz, that’s why it’s called Not Yet Jazz,” says the musician in conclusion. The artiste is all set to perform at Blue Frog on June 26.
