In The Mood For Sax: Rhys Sebastian | Spinout With Verus Ferreira

While he started out singing at the age of 3 and learned classical piano, Rhys found his interest veering towards woodwind instruments like the clarinet and the saxophone. He started his informal training at the age of 16 with his mentors ‘Jazzy’ Joe Pereira in Mumbai and Tala Faral in Indonesia. Rhys' musical influences include Joshua Redman, Abraham Laboriel, Snarky Puppy, Steely Dan, Maceo Parker and Shankar – Jaikishan.

Rhys is also known for his brass arrangements in Bollywood movies and ad jingles. His performance style ranges from fusion to electro-swing, jazz to Bollywood, making him one of the most sought after musical collaborators for live gigs and music festivals.

A few of his career highlights include sitting in with the Symphony Orchestra of India, his IPL collaboration with pop superstar Lionel Richie, Australian beat-box sensation – DubFx and A.R. Rahman, Louiz Banks and Ranjit Barot. He has also performed at prestigious clubs and various venues across the world.

He is currently the musical director and bandleader for Mikey McCleary’s, ‘The Bartender’, which fueled his desire to form Bombay Brass an Indian instrumental band that consists of a host of multi-instrumentalists who perform high energy instrumental music inspired by the sounds of Bombay. They often spin their songs with a western arrangement, with wind instruments as their lead element. It’s no wonder that one of their original compositions Quegdevelim Sunset was picked by Mira Nair for her web series ‘A Suitable Boy’.

⬇ Rhys Sebastian in Concert:

⬇ Bombay Brass | Raga Kalavati | Live in Mumbai:

⬇ RHYS Sebastian Concert at Tata Theatre NCPA:

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