Sunny Jain Collective
Taboo
Steve Blanco Trio
Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz
Asphalt Orchestra
Photo by Gary Wang
Red Baraat
Photo by Amy Touchette
Sunny Jain leads an emerging movement of South Asian-American jazz musicians who bring together America’s greatest original art form and the ancient sounds of their cultural heritage. Touted as one of the premier groups establishing the new music of Indo Jazz, Sunny Jain Collective exploits the shared improvisational character of these traditions to unparalleled effect, with odd-time signatures and vast tonal range. Since its inception in 2002, Sunny Jain Collective has received international acclaim for their organic blend of jazz and pan-Indian music.
Sunny Jain - drumset
Rez Abbasi - guitar/sitar-guitar
Steve Welsh - saxophones/effects
Gary Wang – bass
Samita Sinha – guest vocals
Press
"GROUNDBREAKING synthesis" (Coda Magazine, John Chacona)
“Jain INTREPIDLY leads his band into a lush, undiscovered sonic territory that GLISTENS with the EXOTICISM of NEWNESS without falling into world-beat fusionist clichés” (New York Press, Saby Reyes-Kulkarni)
“Jain DEFTLY colored the pulse with intricate cross rhythms and subdivisions, urgent polyrhythms and SLICK metric modulation while holding firm to a groove” (JazzTimes, Bill Milkowski)
"Drummer Sunny Jain DEFTLY mixes elements of traditional Indian music with hard-driving jazz" (Time Out New York)
"Stakes out SINGULAR TURF in this 21st Century world of cross-pollinating musical traditions" (Signal to Noise, Bill Barton)
Listen * Click underlined song titles for sample MP3
A new marching band developed by Bang on a Can, premiering works commissioned for Lincoln Center's 50th Anniversary from Goran Bregovic, Tyondai Braxton (of Battles), and Stew and Heidi Rodewald. The band will also perform original arrangements of iconoclastic rock, jazz, and classical material--all to movement created by MacArthur Fellowship winning choreographer Susan Marshall. The Asphalt Ochestra shows also include world-premiere arrangements of works by: Björk, Meshuggah, Charles Mingus, Colon Nancarrow and Frank Zappa.
Ken Thomson - saxophones
Peter Hess - saxophones
Alex Hamlin - saxophones
Jessica Schmitz - piccolo
Shane Endsley - trumpet
Stephanie Richards - trumpet
Alan Ferber - trombone
Jen Baker - trombone
Kenny Bentley - sousaphone
Yuri Yamashita - quad toms
Nick Jenkins - bass drum/cymbal
Sunny Jain - snare drum/cymbal
PROJECTS
Led by Sunny Jain, Red Baraat is the first and only dhol ‘n’ brass band of its kind in the States, melding the infectious North Indian rhythm Bhangra with brass funk and expressing the human spirit through improvisation, and a powerful live sound. Comprised of dhol (double-sided, barrel-shaped North Indian drum slung over one shoulder), percussion and horns, this NYC-based group excites audiences with fresh originals, classic Hindi songs with an explosive stage presence and performance.
Sunny Jain - dhol / drumset / percussion / MC
Rohin Khemani - tavil / doumbek / percussion
Tomas Fujiwara - drumset / percussion
Arun Luthra - soprano sax
Mike Bomwell - baritone sax
Sonny Singh - trumpet / vocals
MiWi La Lupa - bass trumpet
Dave Smith - trombone
John Altieri - sousaphone / rap
DEBUT CD RELEASE AVAILABLE NOW!
Press
“To call it ‘party’ music would be to damn it with faint praise. It is a raucous, blaring, clashing celebration of a multitude of cultures come together as one joyous explosion.”
Jazz pianist, composer and filmmaker Steve Blanco has been forging ahead with self-made creative works for over a decade. The son of a French-speaking Moroccan belly dancer (mother) and film editor with a love of music and art (father), Blanco was exposed to artistic expressions from many different cultures. Growing up he learned the trumpet then drums and didn't arrive at the piano until age 23.
Blanco has released three critically acclaimed CDs, produced a music video (directed by Blanco) and currently leads a piano trio with Adam Roberts and Sunny Jain, but performs regularly in solo and duo settings. The trio has performed in many venues including: Domaine, Detour Jazz Club, Williamsburg Jazz Festival, Rockwood Music Hall, Watercolor Cafe, Caffe Vivaldi, The Museum of American Folk Art, The Pierre Hotel, World Yacht, Bimhuis in Amsterdam and a multitude of other establishments.
The trio's latest outing is entitled Piano Warrior for Art of Life Records.
Listen * Click underlined song titles for sample MP3
Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz is an open invitation to join others in a series of interactive musical activities that inspire self-expression and celebrate the creative process. Founded nearly a decade ago by Hayes Greenfield, saxophonist, composer, and recording artist, Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz has helped thousands of students, teachers, and families make the connection between jazz and the development of important social and personal skills.
In the hands of Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz's professional ensemble players, the elements of jazz -- call and response, melody, improvisation, rhythm, dynamics -- become tools for helping students and audiences explore how communication, active listening, positive risk-taking, cooperation, and creative expression contribute to music-making and in fact, impact the world around them.
The group's latest outing is Music for a Green Planet, a reworking of popular children songs with new lyrics addressing environmental concerns and sustainability.
Photo by Sergio Royzen
Sunny Jain
Sunny Jain
Taboo draws upon the ancient poetic form of ghazal and combines lyricism with jazz and world music. Sunny's musical compositions are based around poems addressing issues such as religion, homosexuality and violence towards women, issues "taboo" in South Asian culture. Some of the poems are written by Ali Mir, Ifti Naseem, Ishrat Afreen, Kishwar Naheed, Vikram Seth, and Erin Thomas. This project was commissioned by Chamber Music America's New Works program. The premiere of this project was at Joe's Pub, NYC on December 13th, 2007 and co-sponsored by Sakhi for South Asian Women and Breakthrough. The current personnel includes Sunny Jain (drumset/dhol), Marc Cary (piano), Nir Felder (guitar) Gary Wang (bass), plus guest vocalists, Achyut Joshi, Sheetal Karhade, Samita Sinha, Shayna Steele, Sachal Vasandani, YaliniDream.
Debut recording to be released in May 2010 on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records label.
Photo by Troy Bowen
Photo by Stephanie Berger
