Glitch is all about the bass, guitar ’n drums serving the groove

A delightful addition to the Kolkata music scene, especially in the arena of jazz-rock improvisation, this trio sports a light touch as it goes about its business

Glitch with Aamir on guitar (from left), Oni on drums and Bumpy on bass in performance at Skinny Mo’s in Kolkata on Friday, March 7, 2025. All pictures by the author.

The opening tune has a gentle lilt to it at start. As though the bass is laying out a path. It’s sensitive, on occasions sensual even. The drums are free-flowing. The guitar chimes in, complements the bass harmonics. It’s a groove that is ultimately held up by the drums as the bass-guitar combo fleshes out emotions. Sounding good.

By the time Glitch moves to the second track of the evening at Skinny Mo’s, the trio of Mainak ‘Bumpy’ Nag Chowdhury, Aamir and Oni is on fire. It’s as though the flames Glitch has just let loose are flickering frenetically and drawing picture after picture, but beyond the frame.

There’s melody in the evening’s presentation, lots of it but interspersed with some mayhem too. Aamir’s guitar notes are slippery smooth. Next moment, he’s roaring. The drums are just fanning the flames which at times prompts its able custodian Oni to shriek, wail and even shout as he rides the cymbals. At times Aamir moves to his keyboards, adding a fresh feel to the notes even while creating a wall of sound that enhances the overall feel.

Bumpy’s bass is the mainstay of this delightful trio that’s quite clearly both unpretentious and unapologetic about its intentions: We love music, we are good with our respective instruments, we dwell amid grooves and we just want to play and have fun. The feeling is infectious as the audience, which kept growing as the evening progressed, found out almost immediately. Word must have spread as a number of the city’s active musicians trooped in too and began tripping on the music.

The first track was Neelima, a tribute to its composer, Kolkata’s very own guitar guru Amyt Datta. The second tune, titled imaginatively as Go Vegan Save Hen, is meant to be a play on the seven beats the piece is structured in. It’s funky, explosive and meandering. Call it Something is also an invitation to the gathering to come up with a better name while Kalighati just unspools more of the fun.

Glitch is a delightful addition to the Kolkata music scene, especially in the arena of jazz-rock improvisation focused unabashedly on the groove. The best part is that the band sports a light touch as it goes about its business. The music is nuanced and noisy. Kind of cool.