They claim their music is unlike anything any one has ever heard before. If Ozma, the French quintet jazz band, lacks modesty about its music it's because it has every right to be proud of its sound. It's difficult to bracket Ozma's music as it varies from incomprehensible blabber to complex improvisations of various sounds to soft ballads. Ozma's music compels music lovers to stop whatever they are doing and to sit up and listen. Their music, for the lack of a better word, is 'revolutionary'?a different kind of jazz from what most Nepalis are used to listening to.

Don't believe us? Get a taste of their music at the Chevrolet Miles Music Festival that kicks off from the 21 March. The five member band will be the main attraction of the festival which is jointly organised by the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory, Alliance Fran?aise in Kathmandu and Infinity International. The event is aimed at providing a platform for the band members of Ozma to share their musical know-how with Nepali and vice versa.

Ozma was formed seven years ago with Adrien Dennefeld on guitar, Edouard S?ro-Guillaume on bass, David Florsch on saxophone, Guillaume Nuss on trombone and St?phane Scharl? on percussion. Named after a character from The Wizard of Oz as well as the 'extra galactic life research' program of the NASA, Ozma, in the span of five years, was able to bag the award for the Best French group at the National Jazz Competition in 2006. Similarly, the band's trombone player Guillaume Nuss was awarded the Solo-ist of the Year the same year.

Famous for the flights of imagination in their music, which they say is a fine balance between good homework and instant improvisation mixed with a generous amount of humour, fans of the band often refer to their music as 'ozmic' which rhymes with cosmic. The band believes that the wonderful relationship between the members, which helps in instrumental synthesis of their ideas, is their strongest point. Their compatibility on a human level is reflected in their music as ideas come naturally and is very original mainly because of their spontaneity.

So there you have it. This is your chance to be a part of the first jazz festival of the year to make your own judgment. We bet the band will win your heart in terms of originality and entertainment.

Shitu Rajbhandari

Ozma and the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory
25-26 March
Afternoon Workshops and meeting local artists at KJC
* free workshop

Ozma Concert
27 March, 6PM
Army Auditorium- Shava Mandap
Rs 800 (1st Row), Rs 400 (others)
*Tickets available at Alliance Fran?aise in Kathmandu (AFK), Kathmandu
Jazz Conservatory (KJC), Siddhartha Art Gallery, The Bakery Caf?
Chez Caroline Restaurant, Sangeeta Thapa (9851030873), Pratima Pand? (9851022365) and the Army Club on the evening of the concert)

Ozma and Nepali musician
A unique shared-repertoire concert
28 March, 7PM
Dhokaima Caf?
*Contact AFK or KJC to book you seat