Festival Report: Business Was Good at the Returning Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai

The 11th edition of the event featured performances by blues icons including Buddy Guy and Taj Mahal, and young artists like Christone "Kingfish" Ingram and Ivan Singh, as well as India's own Arinjoy Sarkar

- DAVID BRITTO

 On american singer etta James’ famous song “The Blues Is My Business,” off her 2003 album Let’s Roll, the legendary vocalist sings: “The

blues is my business / And business is good.” Business was definitely good at the two-day sold-out 11th edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studios this past weekend. The blues festival was returning to its original home after skipping 2021 due to the pandemic and hosting the one-day Mahindra Blues Special at Bayview Lawns in Mazgaon last year.

The venue was dressed in everything blues with hoardings of past editions, a sprawling food court area, designated smoking zones and free drinking water. There were also two bars around for those who wanted to indulge in a little tipple.

Day one opened with Kolkata blues outfit the Arinjoy Trio at the Soul Strat Saloon Stage, led by vocalist-guitarist Arinjoy Sarkar and also featuring bassist Aakash Ganguly and drummer Sounak Roy. The band last played the festival in 2019 where they launched their seven-track self-titled debut album. The group performed material off that record, such as the slow blues offering titled “Nothing Good’s Ever Gonna Last” and the heavy blues-rock track called “Who You Are.” Sarkar was at his bluesy best as he showcased his fret skills with scintillating solos and also shared a few jokes with the audience in between songs. The trio also performed the (American blues artist) Robert Cray-inspired track called “Alibi” as well as a bluesy instrumental song.