·October 28, 2026·2 min read

Amithav Gautam’s Debut EP “Presence” Moves Between Blues, Rock, and Jazz

About the Artist

Chennai-based guitarist Amithav Gautam brings blues roots and contemporary jazz into his debut instrumental EP, Presence, released on October 9, 2026. He has performed at the Mahindra Blues Festival and Bangalore Jazz Habba, and shared the stage with The Police drummer Stewart Copeland and six-time Grammy-winning pianist Billy Childs. Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he is developing a guitar sound that takes on the deep roots of blues while expanding his sound through jazz.

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The EP

Old Madras Blues opens with a traditional blues shuffle. There is a looseness to the playing without the rhythm ever losing its footing, as Keith Peters’ bass and Shyam Rao’s drums settle into a steady groove. It sounds like Chennai heat, with the music expanding and collapsing around Gautam’s guitar. There is also something about it that brings to mind a late-night blues session, where the musicians know the shape of the song well enough to let small changes in phrasing do the talking.

Next, Bounce is groovy with sharp rhythmic turns. Jai Row Kavi’s drumming drives the track pushing the guitar into more technical melodic runs. The guitar cuts cleanly through the heavier rhythm. It sounds a little like those party songs you’d hear at the start of an Indian birthday party tape from someone’s childhood. There is a rubber bouncy ball quality to the song, with the rhythm constantly springing back up before you can catch it.

Then the title track, Presence, features Shreyaas Sanjeev on bass and Alex Maddy on drums, shifting through changing time signatures and fluid jazz-fusion passages. The chords are crisper here, and the quick legato lines give the guitar a different kind of movement. The rhythm and melody keep shifting, and it sounds like a hand on someone’s waist, guiding them to move, in one breath.

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Lastly, Sunshine After Rain concludes the EP. With Peters and Rao back on bass and drums, the guitar begins softer before gradually building towards a sweeping solo.There is a blue, wispy quality to the guitar, but also something bright and warm, almost as if the melody is skipping steps while the twang keeps it grounded. Even as the sound grows, it holds on to a gentleness making it feel more natural.

Finally, Presence shows how much an instrumental track can communicate through the way a guitar speaks, in a way, that is the presence running through the EP. The EP moves from the grounded pulse of the blues to the restless energy of rock and the wider emotional reach of a ballad, giving each style room to breathe. The guitar is what marries each track, whether through a bent note, a tightly wound run, or a melody that takes its time reaching its peak. Moreover across these four tracks, Gautam shows how much character a guitar can carry on its own, and how differently the same instrument can make you feel from one song to the next.