Meet The Jazz Audience: Manesha Panicker

NPR | By Lara Pellegrinelli

Published June 28, 2010 at 12:59 PM EDT

In the last few decades, June has become the busiest month for jazz in New York City, home to the biggest jazz scene in the world. But who is actually going to these shows? A small team of Bloggers Supreme has been attending the festivities -- primarily, those of the CareFusion Jazz Festival New York. In between our reports on various goings-on, we'll be talking to the some of the people who are actually in the audience. We start off every conversation with the simple question: how did you hear about this show? And be sure to check out more of our Meet The Jazz Audience series. --Ed.

Manesha Panicker, 31
Performer: Matana Roberts' COIN COIN
Venue: The Jazz Gallery (Downtown Manhattan)
Event: CareFusion Jazz Festival New York
Date: Jun. 24, 2010

How did you hear about this concert? My friend Maria and I were just looking for something to do. We like to find cool things in the city. She saw it in Time Out and picked it because of the description.

So you did it because your friend was doing it. How well do you know each other? We met a year ago in French class at the Alliance Francaise. And now we're best friends. We just got back from a trip to Santa Fe together.

Aww! What did you think of this concert? It was great. I loved it. Everyone came together so well. Between the singing and her reading [snippets from the diaries of family members], it was very interesting. I've always wanted to see jazz in New Orleans. I was just telling Maria, I've never been there, but it had that feel. It's hot and they're up there performing, mixing it up. I felt like I was in New Orleans.

Do you listen much to jazz? Not really, but a year ago one of my friends invited me to Carnegie Hall to see Madeleine Peyroux, who is now one of my favorite singers. I'm not really into music. I don't know much about the different kinds of music, but jazz is my favorite. If there's a kind of music that's really dear to me, jazz is it.

Related At NPR Music: The concert attended by Manesha Panicker and her friend was recorded by WBGO for NPR Music: Matana Roberts' COIN COIN: Live In Concert.