Chai & Jam Season 6 Episode 1

A Jazz/R&B + Indian Classical Jam featuring Toronto's finest improvisers.

Curated especially for ISHQ Festival, this edition of Chai & Jam explores love through listening, trust, and shared creation. Indian classical music, jazz, R&B, and cross-cultural traditions come together in an entirely improvised encounter, created live in the moment.

Featuring 4–6 accomplished artists meeting on stage for the first time, Chai & Jam invites each performer to rely on their training, intuition, and openness to find a shared artistic language. Completely unrehearsed, the performance unfolds through spontaneous exchanges as the artists blend traditions, experiment across genres, and respond to one another in real time.

Founded and curated by Hasheel and Seyblu, Chai & Jam creates space for fearless improvisation between artists who represent strong lineages within their respective art forms. Each performance is shaped by curiosity and collaboration, offering an experience that can only happen once.

Across its first five seasons, Chai & Jam has featured acclaimed artists including SVDP, Divine Brown, Tika Simone, Kazdoura, and Alysha Brilla. The series has also presented performances at celebrated venues, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Now entering its sixth season, Chai & Jam continues to grow as a platform for artistic risk, cultural exchange, and community connection.

Experience the Music

At the heart of Chai & Jam is the act of listening. Without a predetermined set or rehearsed arrangements, the artists move between individual expression and collective discovery, allowing unexpected rhythms, melodies, and musical relationships to emerge.

You are invited to experience the creative process up close through intimate baithak-style seating. 

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For questions and inquiries about accessibility requests, please email us at boxoffice@smallworldmusic.com or call us at 416-536-5439.

This concert is part of Ishq Festival 2026, co-produced by Small World Music and Chai & Jam.

ISHQ Festival is made possible thanks to funding in part by Canada Council of the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, the Province of Ontario, and Toronto Arts Council.