MUMBAI: This will come as sweet news to Indian lovers of jazz music. MTV India has teamed up with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in the US, Black Entertainment Television (Bet) Jazz and the US State Department for the 2005 India Jazz and Heritage Tour from 12-20 January in Mumbai.

One of the highlights will be an evening concert at the Gateway of India. In India the event will air on VH1. Promotion will start in a few days time on MTV.and VH1.

American jazz artists scheduled to appear include Ravi Coltrane, Al Jarreau, George Duke and Earl Klugh. MTV India MD Alex Kuruvilla said, "Music knows no boundaries. MTV India is proud to be associated with the historic performances by American Jazz giants and to be a part of bringing together people and countries, joining forces in the fight against HIV/Aids."

Bet Jazz executive VP and GM Paxton Baker said, "This week-long event is designed to encourage the interaction between Indian and American cultures. The tour and its various components will also give us the opportunity to increase HIV-Aids awareness, which has become a major social issue in India."

The 2005 India Jazz and Heritage Tour commences in Mumbai with a master class featuring Ravi Coltrane and participants from the Monk Institute and Indian students. The final Mumbai event will be a charity luncheon with proceeds donated to HIV-AIDS research.

Members of the tour will travel to New Delhi and perform master classes and give lectures in various schools. A musical birthday tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. featuring film footage of his visit there in the 1960s has also been planned. The tour will include a trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal.

BET Jazz is Viacom's 24 Hour jazz channel. It features many of the finest names in jazz through in-studio performances, festivals, concert coverage, and celebrity interviews. Many of the shows
feature original programming, as well as historic footage, unavailable on any other television network.