Print and social media are flooded with news of the international and local artists who are congregat­ing in Kathmandu this week for Nepal’s own jazz festival. We are all excited to see on stage artists coming from around the world. But what about those working in the background? As the audience we rarely acknowledge the technicians, so let’s address this now. I first met Daniel (Danlo) Laurent in 2014 when I myself was one of those invisible vol­unteers helping Jazzmandu run smoothly. Born in Swit­zerland, Laurent studied elec­tronics and music, beginning his career in small clubs and recording rock bands. Accord­ing to him, life was intense then: handling the sound at big festivals, and for interna­tional bands on tour. Aside from work, philosophy and travel are his passions. So per­haps these, and his love of Asia, drew him to Jazzmandu, where he has been the main sound technician for the past nine years. Like me, he saw an advert for volunteers and thought it would be ‘interest­ing’. Unlike me, what Laurent brings to the table is three decades of experience, in 40 countries, recording over 150 albums, having his own recording studios, and work­ing at such festivals as Cully Jazz and Montreux Jazz.

How does Jazzmandu com­pare to the likes of these Euro­pean festivals? “Jazzmandu is unique because it is more than a jazz festival: it is a state of mind with energies that cannot be found anywhere else. The artists are gener­ally very touched by their participation for that reason. It took me a while to under­stand how things work in Nepal, but little by little things dropped into place and I feel we can be satisfied with the progress the festival has made over the years.”

Why, after so many years, is he still drawn to Nepal? Laurent replies, “Coming to Nepal and Jazzmandu is a human adventure which I would like to continue for the foreseeable future. And, there are still things I would like to see improved so that this festival can grow and evolve even more. I remember my very first day at Jazzmandu; actually there are so many memorable moments from the past years. Crazy jam ses­sions at Gokarna, intense and magical moments at Kantipur Temple House… too many to mention,” he laughs.

And what about those tense moments when things go wrong? “Of course we have faced hardships. The most radical were those long power cuts. Now everything is on battery. Overall, my main fear is communication problems between the stage and the control room. My wish? If I could have one, it would be for me to give back to Nepal as much as Nepal has given me in terms of inspiration and joy.” And what does he look forward to the most this year? “If I have to say just one thing, I would say the audience reac­tion—here are always so warm and appreciative,” he reflects.

Jazzmandu is spread over many venues and obviously each must have its own chal­lenges. “Yes, each place has its own particular identity. The main challenge is to guarantee a linear and homogeneous sound to all the audience, regardless of where they are sitting. I would say Kantipur Temple Hotel is one of the most interesting because it is possible to mix natural and amplified sounds. The most difficult is probably the Yak and Yeti Hotel because of the sound reflection on the buildings at the side of the stage. Overall, in each venue, I would love a little more time to get things right; to improve the monitoring manage­ment of the sound on stage,” answers Laurent.

So this year, when you go along to Jazzmandu, look out for the guy behind the sound­board with the look of high concentration on his face. Without him those on the stage would be mere shadows of their talented selves!

Jazzmandu runs from November 1-6 at different ven­ues around the valley.