Madhuri

Musicwoman Live!

Madhuri Jagadeesh was born into a family of musicians and artists, trained in the Indian Classical arts. Her connection with jazz began as a six, when she heard Ella Fitzgerald'sTisket-a-Tasket. She learned the rhyme in school and her grandfather, a harmonica player, taught her other songs, including Stormy Weather that she thought was his composition! As a teen, she listened to jazz on vinyl. There were no opportunities in Bengaluru to sing jazz, so she joined an all-girl pop and rock band. Her training in Indian classical music continued but income came from doing retro and popular music. Her graduate studies were in psychology, sociology, and literature. She completed her Master's in Literature and became a learning and development consultant. She sang with a band that performed at weddings, clubs, and hotels. She met her husband, Jagadeesh, who plays guitar, in 1993, while auditioning for a jazz band. He introduced her to modern jazz, experimental, and fusion music. In 2006, they started MoonArra. Both were interested in European Classical music. MoonArra fulfilled their passion to create original music and to tell stories. In 2008, a friend and bandleader joined the organizing committee of Java Jazz 2009 in Indonesia. MoonArra received a special mention at the festival. Their first album consisted of songs by Jagadeesh. One composition Road to Pondy was released online and featured in a compilation of a boutique label in New York. Indian Accent was released on Rock and Raaga and Times Music. In 2012, they performed at Asiabeat Anthology Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and at Morocco’s Tanjazz Festival in 2015. https://www.thebsm.net http://wijsf.org