The band 'Jazz Junction' presently performs at a restaurant along the Candolim coast.
PANAJI
Come Christmas and Goa comes alive and lights up not just with colourful decorations and scenes like cribs, stars and Christmas trees, but with all kinds of music events to celebrate the season.
Musical events have been a tradition at Christmas in Goa for several decades, going back to the period prior to technology when musicians would play wind/string instruments and percussions at Christmas and New Year dances.
The arrival of electronic instruments and sound systems added to the number and popularity of shows at Christmas. But in the last two decades, there has been a growing transition from traditional Christmas dances to events at clubs/pubs and restaurants.
“There was a time when Goa used to have regular dances hosted by almost every village and people would go out in their best attire to party right through the night. Sadly, pub and club culture among the youth brought these warm social events to an end,” recalled Jazz Goa founder and veteran bassist Colin D’Cruz.
“Thankfully, the traditional Christmas and New Year dances still take place in Goa, giving youngsters a glimpse of yesteryear’s elegant way of partying.”
In an attempt to blend traditional Christmas fervour with modern technology, D’Cruz said the Jazz Goa gets people together globally to sing a Christmas Carol online.
“The last one in 2023 featured over 300 singers aged six to seventy from 40 countries around the world, who created an absolutely amazing rendition of ‘Angels we have heard on high’. This epic recording was led by Goa’s iconic singers Lulu Fortes and Sonia Shirsat,” said D’Cruz.
“This year, the plan is to launch a series of the most popular Christmas Carols sung by Goa’s amazing vocal talent. The hour-long video will be animated with Christmas caricature and Christmas scenes from Goa to give the world a glimpse of Christmas in Goa!”
In addition, D’Cruz has even composed a Christmas song called ‘Santa Claus ain’t comin’ to town’.
“This Christmas song has lyrics that go with the technological times we live in,” explains D’Cruz.
“This song was selected for an Australian Christmas documentary and is in contention for an international award. The song can be heard on Jazz Goa’s YouTube channel beautifully rendered by Goa’s young jazz diva, Daniella Rodrigues.”
Veteran musician Kevin Mendes, a music composer who has played the keyboard and backup vocals and still does, for several Reputed bands since 1979, recalled a number of dances during the Christmas season all over Goa in the 1970s, which peaked in the 1980s and went right up to the 2000s.
‘The Strangers’ was a popular Goan band which performed at a number of Christmas dances across Goa from the early 1980s till the mid 1990s.
“In the 1970s and 1980s, there was no pub/club culture and there were several bands playing live music at dances, beat shows, hotels and restaurants along the coastal belt, and at other music events in the major cities, during the season. These dances would start at night and continue till the next morning. In fact, some dances in the 70s were even organised in the afternoon and would wind up late evening (called hops/jam sessions)," said Mendes.
“In an era prior to televisions and mobile phones, people would converge in large numbers at these music shows around the Christmas season, especially after the Christmas midnight Mass, on Christmas Day, on New Year’s Eve and a perhaps a few on New Year’s Day.”
“Many towns would have their own traditional dances. For example, Mapusa would have dances during Christmas, especially at the Sirsat Hall, taxi stand and even on the street inside the Mapusa market (behind the PVV shop).”
“Clubs and open venues would also host Christmas dances and these included like Clube Nacional street dance, Clube Vasco da Gama and Club Gaspar Dias, Mandovi Riviera, in Panaji, Emerald Lawns and Alva Mar in Parra, and BPS Club and Clube Harmonia in Margao, as well as shows in Kesarval Motel and Blueberry hill in Verna, and Blascos, Navelim.”
“A number of villages would also have their own traditional Christmas and New Year dances.”
According to Mendes, the many leading bands in the 1970s and 1980s included Emiliano n his Cabelleros, Luis and his Melodians, Radio Serenaders, Les Vandals, The Reunion, The Band, The Foremost, The Sting, The Symphony, The Wings, The Limit, The Syndicate, The Strangers, Muzik Mann, The Big City Band, The Cascades and Ecstasy.
The number of bands increased significantly in the 1990s with better and sophisticated instruments and sound systems and stage light effects, and it was not uncommon for people to hop across different dances in the vicinity.
Over the last two decades, the large number of Christmas dances all over Goa began to decline on account of various factors. Some of them included permissions to host the events, the time and place restrictions, challenges to get large sponsors and in recent years, the attraction to clubs and pubs by the newer generation.
“The music and dance culture at Christmas dances also witnessed a gradual shift from traditional dancing like ballroom ie: waltz, tango, cha cha, swing, bossa nova, to modern dancing like hip hop, techno, line/action dance,” remarked Mendes.
