Sunny Jain — artist
“One of the leading figures in North America’s burgeoning Asian music scene. A global musical alchemist and cultural agent provocateur.” — SONGLINES MAGAZINE (UK) “Jain makes everything fire and flow, roll and combust. His drumming is never static or simply “in the pocket”; it’s in constant go mode: rolls rattling, beats careening, grooves always pressing, pushing for ecstatic release.” — MODERN DRUMMER “Many of these composition are intellectually thrilling to unravel. In “Wild Wild East,” shimmering walls of sound feel like floating face-down in a pool and watching light patterns dance on the floor.” — PITCHFORK “Creatively and ideologically, this is a perfect storm for Jain. Even in his already formidable body of work, “Wild Wild East” stands out as an album that not only deserves to be heard, but needs to be listened to. An understanding of the stories he tells here with such musical brilliance is liable to change hearts and minds for the better. ” — POP MATTERS The career of Sunny Jain is a celebration of cultural diaspora: deep-rooted tradition that ripples outward, changing – and being changed by – the cultures that it touches. He is a composer, drummer, dhol player and community engager. On May 21, 2021, Jain released Phoenix Rise, a collaborative effort featuring over 50 artists, such as Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Michael League (Snarky Puppy), Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas), Endea Owens (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and Joe Russo (jam band darling). Accompany the full digital album is a 72-page physical book that combines music, art, photography and planet-based recipes, all in the name of social justice. As executive producer and music producer, Jain partnered with Center for Constitutional Rights to fundraise and advocate for the work they do. 2021 also saw Jain receiving the MAP Fund, supporting the development of his first musical theater work, Love Force. On February 21 2020, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings released Jain’s first album in over a decade, entitled Wild Wild East. Jon Pareles of The New York Times called the title track “furiously propulsive” and many have acclaimed it as Jain’s best work yet. Called the “Hendrix of dhol” by Manchester Salon (UK), Jain is also known for founding the band Red Baraat, a frenzied fusion of bhangra, hip-hop, jazz, rock, and sheer, unbridled energy that NPR has called “the best party band in years.” Since 2012, Jain has been curating Red Baraat Festival of Colors, a multi-city annual festival showcasing artists of the South Asian diaspora. In 2019, Jain became musical director for the OBIE award-winning theatrical show, The Jungle. That same year, he also musical directed the massive celebration for Lincoln Center’s 60th Anniversary and St. Ann’s Warehouse gala. In 2014, NPR commissioned Jain to premiere a piece for “Make Music New York” day. Jain’s “100+ BPM” convened more than 350 musicians on the steps of the Brooklyn Public Library, including drum lines from the New York Jets, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. In 2005, Jain founded the boutique artist-booking agency, Jainsounds, to offer high-quality live music for events and functions for the South Asian-American community. His company created the first baraat brass band in the States, an 18th century Indian wedding tradition, as well as the popular Bollywood Jazz Ensemble.