Swing City Jazz brings India’s first public big band concert to Hyderabad

Fourteen musicians from India and the United States came together in Hyderabad for Swing City Jazz, marking the country's first public performance by a full-scale big band jazz ensemble and introducing audiences to a rich repertoire of classic jazz compositions.

Hyderabad: For the first time in India, a full-scale big band jazz ensemble performed on a public stage as 14 musicians from the United States and India came together at RNR Auditorium in Film Nagar for Swing City Jazz, a one-night concert that marked a performing arts first for the country.

The ensemble, comprising three American artists and 11 Indian jazz musicians, covered the full breadth of big band instrumentation: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, bass, grand piano, electric guitar and drums. The programme moved through classic big band repertoire, from the warmth of Fly Me to the Moon to the high-energy Caravan, a press release said.

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Leading the ensemble was Dr Jared Sims, Boston’s 2025 Jazz Artist of the Year, with over 20 albums and performance credits spanning five continents. He was joined by trumpeter Doug Olsen and trombonist Reggie Watkins. The Indian contingent was anchored by Ryan Sadri. The evening was curated by Timothy Marthand, a classically trained concert pianist and the founder of ArtHome.