Oct 12th

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EDITORIAL Yuvash Vaidya

WRITERAshesh Rai

PHOTOGRAPHERMariano E. Abello

MARKETING Sunita Shakya Shanti GurungEva Gyawali

DESIGNS Sujin Joshi

KJC magazine is published thrice a year by Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the publisher.

+977-1-5013554info@katjazz.com.np www.katjazz.com.np

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Lets do it! said Nirakar as we were crossing the Bagmati River. I had just mentioned my interest in opening a music school in k-town. He did not wait a second to respond, and at that moment I realized that he had the same passion for music that I did. I can say that dreams come true if you are willing to put a lot of time and effort into making them real. After 5 years, what started as a dream, and against the advice of many dont spend your money on dreams, not in Nepal - KJC is the biggest and most professional music school in Nepal. Though as the director of the school I am naturally biased, the growth and achievements of the Conserva-tory compel me to declare this. KJC has changed music and music education in the capital, producing professional musicians who are getting scholarships to study music abroad, who have become teachers at KJC and who can now make a living through their music. And, the best part of all is that KJC keeps making people smile, changing their lives by insisting on having the best music education possible. As you can imagine, this comes from the effort of many people who believe in what we are doing, and who choose to collaborate with the project. I am tre-mendously thankful to Nirakar for getting inside my dream without hesitation; to Dr. Gene for giving KJC the first and most important push - and more than that, for allowing me to become a part of his life, full of adventures and dreams; to Janine for being there all the time (and I mean, all the time!); to all the foreign teachers who came to train our Nepali faculty; to all the KJC faculty for making this happen, for being there, for understanding even during difficult moments, even becoming my friends; to the Nepali people I have met through these years and who have made my family and me feel so loved; and to Nepal for being the most exciting and beautiful country I have ever lived in. The KJC adventure has just started. We will work to make you understand the importance of music, the happiness it brings, and how it can change your live! KJC will not stop until Nepal has a proper music education in its schools - the one it deserves!

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Mariano E. Abello

One thing that has always fascinated me is the abundance of ideas. Where do they come from? Thinking practically, they come from absolutely nothing at all: pop out of the air and you have a thought that can change the course of your life. Bingo: An Idea can change your life!! But seldom are we able to cultivate thoughts that are truly outward and selfless; seldom do we allow ourselves to form ideas that people like Mr. Nirakar Yakthumba and Mr. Mariano E. Abello did sometime before the fall of 2007. That idea was the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory lovingly known today among many as KJC. With a noble motto: Uniting People with Music, KJC, established in fall 2007 truly is one of the most professional Music institution in Nepal and also one of those few Music institutions that impart Jazz education in South Asia.

And uniting people is what KJC does and has been doing. I have been acquainted with KJC from past few years and I look at the legacy it is leaving behind. Never has such cross cultural meetings and knowledge sharing been such prominent here in the country. The idea of bringing foreign music experts to Nepal in order to empower the countrys own musical talents from my perspective is an amazing effort to strengthen not only an individual but national and international ties too. So believe me, KJC is not one of those for the sake of opening an institution music institution. KJC works on a code that music is one of the best forms of art human civilization has known of and thereby helps people from all walks of life blend into this performing arts territory. No matter a small child or and old man, once you are in KJC, you are in the most caring of hands!!

Seeds, Roots and FruitsKathmandu Jazz Conservatory: from a simple idea to a leading Music Institution

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Since past five years of its establishment, KJC has been active in all musical forms and ways whether it be teaching-learning or performing or charity. KJC in other words has kept the ball rolling; it has kept the idea growing. Maybe that is the reason why at present, KJC is functioning more efficiently than ever before. But then again, this would never have had been possible if the seed of the simple idea had not been planted which later took the form of the root cared well of and which has now turned into the KJC we see today.Lets take a brief look back at the odyssey Odyssey: yes, that would be a perfect word!!

Although the classes had already started running, a formal inauguration of KJC was done by Dr. Gene Aitken, US Cultural Envoy to Nepal 2008 and US Ambassador to Nepal, Nancy J. Powell. Dr. Aitken is one of the leading music educators in the world and is mentor and adviser of KJC.

The facilities it consisted then were a music hall which can seat 200 people, a music library, a listening lab, five practice rooms, two large rooms for ensemble rehearsal and group classes, separate rooms for both drum kit and percussion instruments, a piano practice room and a state-of-the-art recording studio, out of which KJC operates its own record label Katjazz Records. KJC since then has been offering students the use of mainly Yamaha instruments.

KJC has been organizing a Concert Series which takes place in the last Saturday of every month. The Concert

Series is a wonderful platform for the KJC students to showcase their talents and if adding a little humor, a way to show their parents that their investment is

worthwhile. The best part of the Concert Series is the teamwork that various combos put forth to bring out

the best they have. But equally best parts are solos too!! The Concert Series also been emphasizing on the Big

Band and Faculty performances.

A Brief History of Time: Strolling Down Memory Lane

Planting the seed: KJC gets inaugurated finally

KJC Concert Series

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KJC Scholarship Fund is an initiative taken to provide music education to underprivileged children. Under this fund, various concerts and charity events have been organized and many students have benefited from it. The following efforts were made to support the Scholarship Fund:

Hyatt Women in Music Scholarship: December 2008 Fund raising concert by Sachal Vasandani (USA): February, 2009

Fund raising concert by Jorge Pardo y Vientos Flamencos (Spain): May 2009

Jamie Aebersold donated the J.A. Jazz Practice Room, a state-of-the-art practice room: May 2009

Fund raising concert by KJC Faculty: May 2011 Piano concert by Adolovi Acosta (Philippines) to support KJC scholarship fund: November 2011

Several private donors helped our scholarship: Araceli Lloret, Crista Ruiz de Arana, Wolfgang Boensch,

Mara Ramirez, Luisa Mackey Fund raising concert in Spain by Mariano Abello: April 2012

Black History Music Month Scholarship: February 2012 (organized by House of Music supported by U.S. Embassy)

Piano concert by Anna Kijanowska (Poland-USA) to support KJC Fund: June 2012

KJC Scholarship Fund

KJC Scholarship Fund Concert, Madrid

Jazz for the Next GenerationJazzmandu 2011

Spring Camp 2012

KJC Concert Series with Natalia

DrummersDayOut

Moments ofInnocence

World Music Day @ Moksh

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Early morningI wake up to the sunMy thoughts are like dewdropsUpon the green-green leaves

I sit downI need a wayA way to showThe world how I feel

I hold a penAnd write About how I feelOf the fight I had last nightOf redemptionOf standing for myselfOf how it feels when I look at her

And I endUnsatisfiedWith bite marks On my pencilHeaviness in my heartNoThat wasnt what I wantedTo say

Im lostCompletelySuffocatedAnd in the midst Of all this trauma,I hum a tune

And the universe unfoldsWith all its multitude of coloursAnd I hum

Music Means...

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I have found my wayThrough musicThrough twelve stepsThat can take me anywhere

I live in a shabby houseBut I visit the richest placesThat is what music means to me

My heart is brokenBut I can find my wayThrough the blues!That is what music means to me

Im angryI headbang through All the resentmentsThat is what music means to me

Im happyI weave notesThat make a smileThat is what music means to me

And its just A languageSay it in your own wordsNo matter how tiny or bigSay it Hum itAnd believe meYou will haveCreated something

Music Means...

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Workshops are really amazing at KJC. Not the boring two hour lecture where someone tries to explain the meaning of Music (well that is the problem; Music isnt comprehendible by a single lecture!). What KJC has been doing since its establishment is bringing in veteran artists from home and abroad to present the real life situation of what making music is all about plus music as a business to music as a way of life. Well in simple words, KJC has brought in brilliant minds that share their knowledge and experiences so that the students can not only learn the language of music but be able to express it in their own words too.

At a glance, the following workshops have taken place at KJC: Chris Poulsen Trio (Australia): March 2008 Workshop with French band OZMA: March 2009 Composition classes by Paolo Della Giovanna: April 2009 Jorge Pardo and Vientos Flamencos Masterclass on Flamenco: May 2009 Lindsay Feldmeth, USA opera singer masterclass: June 2009 Jazzmandu Master Class by Trio Urban: October 2009 Workshop with Australian band Tigramuna: February 2010 Piano Master Class by Roman Rudnytsky from U.S.: September 2010 Guitar workshop with Benedikt Reidenbach from Berlin: December 2010 Music Business workshop with Marcus Dengate (Australia): March 2011 Studio Technology Workshops with Coleton Paskert from U.S.: May 2011 Drum workshop with Robbert Van Hulzen from Netherlands: October 2011 Piano Master Class by Thomas Duvigneau from

France: December 2011 Workshop with Swiss band Aliose:

March 2012 Master class by band Willamette Underground (USA): March 2012 Piano workshop with Anna Kijanowska from USA: June 2012 Workshop on Irish Music with Raquel Costa and Federico Divina from Spain: July 2012 Vocal workshop with Natalia Calderon from Spain:

August, 2012

Workshops by Visiting Professors and Bands

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KJC has been successfully bringing in faculty from different parts of the globe here in Nepal making KJC a melting pot of various musical cultures and traditions. Moreover, the benefits that Nepali students are getting are very high firstly in the context of supporting their knowledge in addition to supporting other Nepali students to carry on the tradition.

The following teachers have taught (and some teaching) at KJC:

Jan Fadnes (Norway) for Piano and Music Education: February 2008 Jaco van den Dool (Netherlands) for Piano, Kids Class and Choir: May 2008 Marloes Oudeman (Netherlands) for Vocals and Music Education: June 2008 Eric Slaughter (U.S.) for Guitars: April- June 2009 Nick Jost (U.S.) for Bass: April- June 2009 Mayo Shimonishi (Japan) for Piano and Kids Class: June 2009

Rainer Pusch (Germany) for Saxophone and Music Education: July- September 2010

Ian Campbell Eustis (U.S.) for Bass and Double Bass: September 2010

Marcus Dengate (Australia) for Bass, Jazz Piano and Group Combos: February 2011 Misun Kim (Korea) for Piano: February 2011- January 2012

Olivia James (U.K.) for Vocals: July 2011- January 2012 Miguel Sawaya (U.S.) for Bass and Double Bass: March 2012

Natalia Calderon (Spain) for Vocals: August 2012 Alvaro Torres (Spain) for Jazz Piano and Ear Training:

September 2012

Incorporating Faculty Members from Abroad

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a calmer mindmore energy

greater flexibilitybetter sleep

a healthier bodyand a happier mood

www.pranamaya-yoga.com

In 2009 and thanks to the efforts of Dr. Gene Aitken and the generosity of Mr. Jamey Aebersold, the Aebersold Foundation donated a well equipped practice room, the second of its kind in Asia. Mr. Aebersold is a world-renowned jazz educator who revolutionized the way we practice jazz by creating a play-a-long CD and booklet so people from all over the world can practice jazz listening to real players.

The Aebersold Room is used for many hours every day at KJC and it really helped us developed our outstanding

education.

Jamey Aebersold Practice Room