Kathmandu: An evening of jazz at the Jazz Bar in Hotel Shangri-La marked the second event of Jazzmandu 2004 on March 12. Organised by Upstairs Ideas, the official English daily The Himalayan Times keeps you updated. With Frode Nymo on the alto saxophone, Steinar Raknes on the double bass and Hakon Mjaset Johnsen on the drums, the Urban Connection from Norway has an energy that combines the folk spirit of jazz with the vigour of today’s music.

The Connection can certainly connect well with their listeners. They dished out originals one after another building a grip on their audience that was strong enough to keep encores coming. And the Connection performed more than one encore to the audience’s delight. They performed “Hepburn dance”, a dreamy number that builds up to a fast tempo. “We composed this number as a dedication to Audrey Hepburn,” said Raknes. They played one standard jazz number that they had not performed here before. Their ballad “Song for everyone” was a mesmerising track and “Driver’s escape”, a composition with the message “Check your brakes before you drive” was a very interesting composition that had the audience applauding the solo performances of each musician. We will connect with more on Jazzmandu! — HNS