Friday, March 30, 2018

The beach, summer and music

I love jazz, Latin music, Hawaiian music, and a lot more too of course.  But whenever I listen to Latino music or smooth jazz, into my mind comes pictures of a tropical beach, and this sort of music floating out in the background, blending with the soothing sounds of the ocean.  As I think back, I have a vague memory of going to a beach in Mumbai, possibly Juhu.  I don't remember it being very crowded.  My physical memory makes me feel I may have been around four.  In the background there is a beach front restaurant, and the music floating from there was that kind of music, relaxing and part of the sun, sand, sea and palm trees.
As I grew up and into my teen years of course it was all about the Beatles, other Brit pop groups, Elvis and Cliff Richards.  But on my 15th birthday my eldest brother, who was in the US by then, sent me an Astrud Gilberto album and I just loved that album and there was no turning back.  Even now, when I hear smooth jazz, especially Bossa Nova, the feeling is almost visceral and whenever there are summer breezes blowing, even at home, I want to listen to jazz.
I have not been back to Juhu since we left Mumbai in 1961.  I wonder what it is like now.  But for me, it is forever linked with that kind of music.