There’s no blues artist anywhere in the world who hasn’t heard about the Mahindra Blues Festival by now,” VG Jairam says. “And that includes Eric Clapton.” Jairam, Co-founder of Oranjuice, the entertainment company that has organised the Mahindra Blues Festival since its inception in 2011, says this rather matter-of-factly. And he doesn’t even mean the calls that the festival team’s made to solicit the musician’s presence.
Clapton’s bandmate from Bluesbreakers, John Mayall, left deeply satisfied after his gig in 2018; while Buddy Guy, the last of the blues living legends and a “friend and mentor” to the festival, is famously relentless with his endorsement. “But to get someone of Clapton’s stature down here requires some cajoling, as you can imagine,” Jairam says, “and when he does agree, it’d be almost criminal to put him on a stage in Mehboob Studios!”
This explanation comes over a conference call with Jairam and Jay Shah, Head of Cultural Outreach at Mahindra Group; because I’ve asked (almost as a personal wish list) if they’d consider hosting artists like Alabama Shakes and Rag’n’Bone Man – artists that feature on the Billboard Hot 200 and are arguably taking the genre to more pop-oriented audiences.
“Of course, Alabama Shakes is on our radar,” Jairam says. “But there’s a lot that goes into that conversation. Sometimes it’s a question of whether it’s worth their time to fly around the world for 3,000 people in the audience. We might pull it off,” – like they did with the Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2014 – “but we do want to stay true to Chicago blues.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2020 من GQ India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2020 من GQ India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The 30 Best Watches Of 2024
Rounding up the best shapes, materials, complications and sizes from this year's horological novelty treasure chest.
Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...
Last month, LA-based artist Wes Lang unveiled The Black Paintings, a monumental series of works that play like storyboards to a raucous midnight horror movieand a spiritual quest. Here, GQ collaborates with the artist on a fashion story that brings his stylish characters off the canvas.
The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame
In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.
"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter talks business, legacy, art, and family
The Wedding Singers
Madboy Mink's dynamic duo, Saba Azad and Imaad Shah, redefine festive style.
A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face
As collectors look to make their grail watches stand out, they're turning to unique vintage bracelets and paying thousands on thousands for straps on the secondary market.
The Fluidity of Cartier
Why Gen Z stars are obsessed with this historic maison.
A Princess with Passion
From restoring monuments to reviving hereditary crafts, Bhavnagar's Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has her sights on the future.
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.
DEMNA UNMASKED
He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.