TKA Artists and Special Projects - Flipbook - Page 51
SUNNY JAINS
WILD WILD EAST
Wild Wild East, Sunny Jains debut for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings,
revolves around two archetypes of American identity: cowboys and immigrants.
The album sources musical inspiration from an array of influences, from the
scores of Bollywood classics to Spaghetti Westerns, Indian folk to jazz improvisa
tion, and South Asian languages to English prose, to express the immigrant
experience as one navigates the terrain of what it means to be “American.” Jain
draws upon his family history of migration for vision, employing rhythmic shifts,
dissolving soundscapes, and the interplay of structure and experimentation to
represent the heartbreak and triumph within the South Asian diaspora.
Sunny Jain is a composer, drummer and dhol player. Jain is most known for
founding & playing dhol in the party band, Red Baraat, whos performance
highlights include the White House (Obama), Bonnaroo Music Festival, Austin
City Limits and Peter Gabriels WOMAD Festivals. He has also drummed with
Tongues in Trees, Junoon, Peter Gabriel, Norah Jones, Dewey Redman, Donny
McCaslin, Martha Wainwright, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer and Kiran
Ahluwalia. Hes been commissioned to write new music by NPR, Aaron Copland
Music Fund, Chamber Music America, Meet the Composer & MASS MoCA. In
2019, Jain served as musical director for the OBIE award-winning theatrical
show, The Jungle, as well as Lincoln Centers 60th Anniversary celebration.