Jazz Corner: When Putin Summoned His Favourite Jazz Sax Player from Mumbai

Igor Butman was on an India tour when he was flown back to Russia for a day for a party. He was back on tour in Gurgaon the next day

- Sunil Sampat

WITH WAR CLOUDS hovering menacingly over Europe - once again (you would think they might have learned from their escapades in 1914 and 1939), bad times and a terrible, uncertain future hovers over mankind.

I am willing to wager a lot in saying that no artist, musician, painter, writer or poet has ever waged a war at any time in the history of this earth. They are, in fact the ones to heal the wounds, to soothe jangled nerves and bring relief to the wicked fallout and misery of war. Who are these troubled souls who have gone into other people's homes and claimed them - by foul, violent means?

Some years ago, a famous and very popular Russian jazz saxophonist, Igor Butman had come to India for a three-concert tour. With him was the beautiful jazz vocalist, Fantine (part Russian, part West Indian!), an accomplished young jazz pianist and others to complete a jazz sextet.