Louiz Banks

About

Originally named as Dambar Bahadur Budaprithi, his musician father rechristened him Louis Banks, inspired by the jazz legend, Louis Armstrong. Little did he know that his son would grow up to be a phenomenal jazz artist of the nation and earn the title, 'Godfather of Indian Jazz'. From the 70s crowd to the gen-X, music lovers have swayed to his musical compositions. He has shared the stage with stalwarts like John McLaughlin, Charlie Mariano, Ustad Zakhir Hussain and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. His son, Gino, a popular drummer, is a part of the musical lineage that started with his great grandfather composing the Nepalese national anthem, his grandfather playing the trumpet for a Kolkata band and his father winning the Grammy award for the Best Contemporary Jazz Album!