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Entertainment
Rolling Stone India Traces the Evolution of Indian Jazz
✍️ Rolling Stone India
🗓 28 Aug 2026, 11:47 AM
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Rolling Stone India's latest feature, "Jazz Corner", examines how jazz has grown and transformed in India, highlighting key artists and milestones.
Rolling Stone India has published a dedicated section called “Jazz Corner” that charts the historical development of jazz within the country. The report surveys the genre’s introduction during the colonial period, its adaptation by Indian musicians, and its current vibrant scene.
The feature points to early exposure through British and American troops in the 1930s, the flourishing of Bombay nightclubs in the 1950s, and the pioneering contributions of artists such as Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot and Shankar Mahadevan, who merged Indian classical motifs with improvisational jazz.
It also highlights recent trends, noting the expansion of jazz festivals in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and the emergence of younger ensembles that blend electronic elements and fusion styles. Interviews with several musicians reveal how streaming platforms and cross‑border collaborations are reshaping the soundscape.
By framing Indian jazz as a product of cultural hybridity, Rolling Stone India suggests that the genre’s future will continue to balance tradition with innovation.
The feature points to early exposure through British and American troops in the 1930s, the flourishing of Bombay nightclubs in the 1950s, and the pioneering contributions of artists such as Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot and Shankar Mahadevan, who merged Indian classical motifs with improvisational jazz.
It also highlights recent trends, noting the expansion of jazz festivals in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and the emergence of younger ensembles that blend electronic elements and fusion styles. Interviews with several musicians reveal how streaming platforms and cross‑border collaborations are reshaping the soundscape.
By framing Indian jazz as a product of cultural hybridity, Rolling Stone India suggests that the genre’s future will continue to balance tradition with innovation.