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Aki Goes To Bollywood blends Retro Bollywood hits with Delta blues jams and ferocious blues harmonica. Though some instrumental albums and DJs have attempted to rearrange Bollywood music mixed with other genres, never before has an Indian blues musician fronting an American band so triumphantly recorded songs by the Indian film industry’s biggest stars. Kumar notes, “I realized that many of the retro Indian songs I loved had, in fact, been influenced by American blues music and I wanted to bring them together.” Hailed as one of the top blues artists of the West Coast scene, Kumar truly represents his musical DNA in this project — classic 1950s/60s Bollywood and down-home American blues.
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Price Range: Contact for rates
Gig Length: 45 - 120 minutes
Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi
"American blues seamlessly blended with infectious Retro Bollywood hits that groove hard. Guaranteed to keep any audience entertained!"
Aki Goes To Bollywood is a highly entertaining act fronted by dynamic, charismatic and hard-hitting blues singer/harmonica player Aki Kumar and featuring some of the most talented blues musicians from the West Coast. This outfit delivers true cross-cultural American music and is the only one of it's kind in the whole world!
"Check it out. I wouldn't steer you wrong." - Charlie Musselwhite
"Really really really hot stuff!" - Elwood Blues aka Dan Aykroyd
"...the integrity of his music marks the difference between novelty and substance"
- Downbeat Magazine
"speaks to the height of creativiy and fearlessness" - David Mac / Blues Junction
"Great art!" - Jason Ricci!
"It's Chicago deep Dish pizza, masala style!" - Take Two, KPCC 89.3FM
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Short bio -
Indian-born, San Jose-based Aki Kumar, aka "The Only Bombay Blues Man," left his home in Mumbai with the intention of working as a software engineer in Silicon Valley. Then he discovered the blues, and his life dramatically changed. With his Little Village Foundation debut, Aki Goes to Bollywood, he began integrating elements of Indian music into his musical and visual presentation, making for a multi-cultural mash-up that sounds like no one else, yet never loses touch with its blues foundation. Kumar’s follow-up album, Hindi Man Blues, boasts his most ambitious cross-cultural fusion to date, and features liner notes by veteran blues great Charlie Musselwhite. Kumar has performed at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, has been featured on PRI “The World,” and has toured in Russia and Scandinavia.
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Long bio -
Indian-born, San Jose-based Aki Kumar, aka “The Only Bombay Blues Man,” left his home in Mumbai with the intention of working as a software engineer in Silicon Valley. Then he discovered the blues, and his life dramatically changed. Singing and playing harmonica, he steeped himself in the music and became a fixture in blues clubs throughout Northern California,where he developed an unique, audacious blend of Chicago-style blues which then led to playing retro Bollywood pop mixed with the blues.
When he began performing, Kumar initially attempted to downplay his ethnicity and perform straight, Chicago-style blues. “I wanted to make a statement that I was a traditional blues man, so I wanted to be playing blues and have nobody even wonder where I came from.” His attitude soon changed, and with his Little Village Foundation debut, Aki Goes to Bollywood, he began integrating elements of Indian music into his musical and visual presentation, making for a multi-cultural mash-up that sounds like no one else, yet never loses touch with its blues foundation. That unique blend of East and West reaches a new creative plateau on Aki’s second Little Village Foundation album, Hindi Man Blues, which boasts Aki’s most ambitious cross-cultural fusion to date, and features liner notes by veteran blues great Charlie Musselwhite.
“My first album was really about my identity,” the artist states. “Now I feel it is time to be more direct about what’s happening out there in the world. The blues scene is my home, and the scene can be pretty conservative, but I want people to know where I stand. There’s a good amount of focus on Bollywood classics on the new album, and I even throw in a song about President Trump called ‘All Bark No Bite.’ The production and arrangements are tighter this time around. ‘Yoh Surmayi Shaam’ has lyrics that my mom wrote and sings, she turned 75 this year and it’s a really nice way to represent her musical contribution to my life. We also do a version of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Watermelon Man.’
”Kumar’s visionary stylistic mix has already won him widespread attention. In addition to the local blues venues, where he’s built an enthusiastic audience, he’s performed at the prestigious Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, been featured on PRI “The World,” and has toured in Russia and Scandinavia. Now, after spending more than a decade developing his sound with the help of some of the Bay Area’s finest blues players, Aki Kumar continues to take his love for the blues to new and fascinating place.
“In a musical sense, this album is the direction that my career is heading towards. I’m never going to be a straightahead blues artist. I worked really hard to establish some blues credibility, and now I’m seeing that blues fans are really accepting of my new direction. It’s a pretty interesting adventure.”
Hindi Man Blues was produced in 2018 at Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California by Aki Kumar & Kid Andersen. Executive Producers - Denise McNair & Jim Pugh.
Our Stage Plot is available for download here:
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In addition to hundreds of classic and original blues songs, we perform the following Retro Bollywood numbers -
Badan Pe Sitaare
Eena Meena Deeka
Jaan e Jaan
Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Pe
Chala Jaata Hoon
Jaanu Meri Jaan
Pukarta Chala Hoon Mein
Hai Apna Dil
Baar Baar Dekho
Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Yeh
Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Elmore James, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Asha Bhosale, RD Burman.
Covered 10x20 stage
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