Mumbai has been India’s music industry capital for a century and has the live scene to match: a jazz tradition going back to the 1930s, a dense indie circuit, classical concert seasons and Sufi singing at the dargahs. Travellers who find Mumbai flight deals on Traveloka and look at listings before arriving will usually find several things worth going to in any given week.
The jazz inheritance
Bombay’s jazz age ran from the 1930s to the 1960s, when Goan musicians staffed the hotel bands and the city had a dozen clubs. The tradition survives in a handful of venues in Colaba and Bandra running weekly sessions, often with musicians who also record for film. It is the most distinctive thing in the city’s musical life.
The indie circuit
Bandra and Lower Parel hold the venues that book independent rock, electronic and fusion acts most weekends, with a crowd drawn from the advertising and media industries. Door prices are modest. The scene is small enough that the same few hundred people turn up, which makes it easy to fall into conversation.
Hindustani classical and the concert season
The winter months bring the classical season, with sabhas and cultural institutions in Dadar, Matunga and south Mumbai programming vocal and instrumental recitals. The NCPA at Nariman Point is the main venue and runs an ambitious programme year-round. Concerts start late and run long, and arriving mid-performance is normal.
Qawwali at Haji Ali and Mahim
The dargah at Mahim holds qawwali on Thursday evenings, and the shrine at Haji Ali, reached by a causeway covered at high tide, has devotional singing at certain times. These are religious occasions rather than performances. Dress modestly, cover your head, remove shoes, and follow what the people around you are doing.
Bollywood, where to actually encounter it
Film music is everywhere and almost never performed live in a way visitors can attend. The realistic options are a live orchestra night at the NCPA, a tribute show, or a recording studio tour. For the real thing, the Royal Opera House in Girgaum has been restored and programmes a mix of film, classical and contemporary.
Festivals
The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in February takes over the south Mumbai heritage precinct with free street performance for a week. Mahindra Blues in February and the NCPA’s own festivals cluster in the cooler months. Ganesh Chaturthi in late summer fills the streets with processional drumming, which is not a concert but is unavoidable and extraordinary.
Practical notes
November to February is both the comfortable season and the concert season. Suburban trains run late but get crowded; app taxis are the better option after a gig. Many venues require ID and have a dress code. Traveloka offers the lowest flight prices in the region for the short direct flights into Mumbai.
Find a weekly jazz session in Bandra, go to Mahim on a Thursday evening, and check the NCPA programme before fixing the dates. February is the month with the most on, by a wide margin.