I’m not very sure what I was up to musically at 23 (probably bang in the middle of my Tool/ NIN phase), but I certainly wasn’t ready to assume the responsibility of writing for and fronting my own jazz band at such a young age.
Aniket Roy Chowdhury (and hence the Arc trio) modestly points towards his one year of study at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music for leading him away from his rock and blues beginnings and towards jazz and world music. While having access to teachers like Rotem Sivan and Gabriel Geszti is invaluable, one year with them doesn’t fully explain the original and impressive musical journey that Aniket is on (and deserves all credit for).
Twenty three is young in jazz years for more than a few reasons. One, to develop a musical vocabulary as well as proficiency on the instrument of your choice takes a decade or more. Two, to take the leap and write original music is no small feat ( most people get stuck trying to play over standards aka Autumn…
