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Indian Blues musicians featured in CBS segment
Chennai-born Amithav Gautham came to study computer science but found his passion in blues music.
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Amithav Gautham. / Image- SFCM
Amithav Gautham, a freshman in the Roots, Jazz, and American Music (RJAM) Department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), was recently spotlighted in a CBS Bay Area news segment highlighting Indian musicians in the Bay Area playing classic American blues.
The feature, by reporter Devin Frehley, serves as a follow-up to his 2022 piece on South Bay blues harmonica player Aki Kumar, who transitioned from a career in software engineering to becoming a renowned musician blending Chicago blues with Bollywood influences.
In the new segment, Frehley introduces Gautham, who immigrated from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to study at SFCM, alongside another Indian musician, harmonica player Sonny Kumar. The report showcases the trio’s performances, blending their cultural heritage with the blues’ quintessentially American sound.
"Sometimes blues can be sweet, almost tender in a way, but on the other side, [they] can be aggressive and full of fire. You really can do a lot with just one note in the blues," Gautham says.
Aki Kumar expressed pride in seeing a growing community of Indian blues musicians. I didn't think there was another Indian person that was gonna come along and pick up harmonica or guitar and start playing this stuff," he says of his younger peers. "Look now, in just the space of two years, we are looking at a different landscape."
The feature underscores the dynamic contributions of Indian musicians to the Bay Area’s diverse music scene and the universality of the blues.
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