Courtyard’s Midweek Jazz

Tuesday, 16 July 2013 01:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Colombo Courtyard, the urban boutique hotel in Colombo, brings about another dimension to Colombo nightlife with their ‘Midweek Jazz’, a novel midweek night out for city dwellers. ‘Replay’, the Jazz band who plays at the Loft-Lounge Bar of the Colombo Courtyard hotel does ‘Midweek Jazz’ every Wednesday from 7 p.m. onwards, introducing the flavour of traditional Jazz culture, which is not unfamiliar to Colombo Jazz enthusiasts. Colombo Courtyard Director Abeer Thapar, says Jazz nights at the Loft-Lounge Bar has created an interest level amongst their customers, bringing them out in the middle of the week for an entertaining session. “Midweek night outs are different from Friday night outs. People go out in the night after work and they have to go back to work the next morning. So, midweek night outs do not drag on and on. And there should be some space for conversation, relaxation and good entertainment. Jazz music played at our Loft-Lounge Bar creates the perfect atmosphere for a midweek night out,” Thapar explains. How does Jazz fit into midweek night outs? That is an interesting question. It is not just a form of music, but a culture and a distinctive tradition. To play jazz is to contribute to world history, because it stems from the slavery experience of Afro-Americans in the early part of the 20th century. To be a Jazz artist one has to become a part of that lineage. Hence, it is different from pop, rock or rock n roll. “One might say that Jazz is not the buzz-word in the music industry nowadays. It has a relatively small audience compared to pop. That also is a unique characteristic of jazz. It is, so to say, the grandfather of modern forms of music such as pop and hip-hop,” says Dilukshi Sirimanna, lead singer and keyboardist of the Jazz band Replay who performs at Colombo Courtyard. But, says Dilukshi, it is not very loud and it creates a nice ambiance for people, without music disturbing the conversation. “It perfectly fits into a hang-out place of this nature. One can even have a business-like meeting while listening to jazz music. At the same time, true music lovers can listen to the music serenely while enjoying the nice atmosphere,” she adds. The band Replay is Dilukshi Sirimane, Ray Gomes, Revel Crake, and Jude Theagarajah. The most important aspect of Jazz is its quality of being multi-dimensional. Most genres of music nowadays are not nearly as multi-dimensional as Jazz. This poses a serious challenge to modern Jazz artists. That is to make this a subtle and multi-dimensional form of music palatable to the ‘modern audience’. Replay, who plays at the Loft-Lounge Bar of Colombo Courtyard, has taken up this challenge quite successfully. Dilukshi says that it is amazing to see the young generation of Sri Lankan music lovers embrace Jazz music. “Contrary to the notion that Jazz is not appealing to modern youth, we have received good feedback from young music enthusiasts. They are fully aware of the different kinds of Jazz and because of that we also do various kinds of ‘blends’. Sometimes they range from traditional Jazz songs to Jazzy pop songs,” she says. The Loft-Lounge Bar, on the other hand, is not just another bar; it offers one of the most extensive cocktail menus in the country. Abeer Thapar who describes the Loft-Lounge bar also as their ‘Cocktail Bar’, says their apart from the bar’s contemporary setting, it’s special cocktail menu is a unique selling point, offering a rare mix of eclectic tastes to suit everyone.

“We have a wide range of interesting Cocktail mixes including one with a Sake, which is not a flavour often used for cocktails in Sri Lanka. Our cocktail menu also fits into the concept of midweek night outs coupled with jazz music, and our expert barman has perfected the art of mixing the perfect blend to set the mood,” he adds. What good hotels offer is not just food or comfort or music. They offer an ‘experience’. The Hotel industry, in other words, is no longer merely that but an ‘experience industry’. It is the ‘experience’ that creates a value in the market. The Colombo Courtyard has clearly understood this formula and with their ‘Midweek Jazz’, cocktails and great ambiance, are contributing towards the weekly nightlife experience of the city.