Red Baraat Festival! at NYC Fashion Week

Bangin' Bhangra & Brass Funk: Red Baraat Festival! melds the infectious North Indian banghra rhythm with brass funk and expresses the human spirit through improvisation and a powerful, live, raw sound.  I've been playing in this NYC-based band that plays fresh originals, traditional Punjabi songs and Bollywood numbers.  I can usually be found playing the South Indian tavil (a double-sided, barrel shaped drum similar to the dhol but played with a stick in the left hand and thimbles on four fingers in the right) and an array of other drums and percussion.

Sunny Jain leads the group on dhol with Tomas Fujiwara on drumset, Arun Luthra on soprano sax, Mike Bomwell on tenor, Mike Williams on bass trumpet, Sonny Suchdev Singh on trumpet, Dave Smith on trombone and John Altieri on sousaphone.

The band recently played at a runway show for Ports 1961 during NYC Fashion Week.  Designer Tia Cibani had traveled to India and was inspired by Mughal styles for the Fall '09 Collection.  Some video footage from the show has been posted here: 

Red Baraat Festival! NYC Fashion Week

Zanzibar, Tanzania: Sauti Za Busara Festival

After six flights and over 36 hours in the air I'm back in New York City from Sauti Za Busara Festival in Zanzibar, Tanzania where I was performing with Omega Okello's band.  The setting was enchanting: artists from across the African continent performed on the grounds of the Old Arab Fort in Stonetown (a UNESCO World Heritage site originally built in 1560) under the open sky.  Omega's set was well received by the packed crowd of locals and tourists; and the international band featured Andre Manga from Cameroon on bass, Uli G from Germany on keys, Andrew Reissiger from the U.S.A. on guitar, and myself on drums.  I'll be posting photos from the festival in the next few days.

New Band: For Feather

"They sound like an expensive orchestra for a silent movie about the perils of internet love and irrelevance--with sweet poignant, melodic verse and a penchant for extreme orchestral juxtaposition."

Since my last posting I've joined the creative Brooklyn ensemble, For Feather, fronted by Erica Glyn; with David Weintraub on guitar and Evan Silverman on bass.  An EP of new music is due out later this fall (recorded with former drummer Phil Kester).  I added percussion to the recording mixed by Joel Hamilton (Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, Tom Waits) and will be appearing with them at the BAM Cafe Live Next Wave series on November 1st.

Recent Performances & New Recordings

It's been a busy past few months and I'm fortunate to be working with some great musicians. Some recent performances I've been a part of have included Sunny Jain's Red Baraat performing to a joyful, dancing crowd at Drom in the East Village, Nels Andrews' band (with Jonathan Goldberger, Brian Drye, Rich Hinman and Peter Bitenc) in residence at Banjo Jim's, Omega Okello's New York City and Washington, D.C. performances (with Marvin Sewell, Fred Doumbe and Leo Traversa in the band), and a drive up to Cambridge, Massachusetts to play with Alice at the Lily Pad.

I'm also happy to announce that a number of recordings I played on over the past year are either available now or will be released later this summer/fall:

Alice elastic.hybrid.chamber.pop

released June 2008 (for download only)

Jesse Lewis Atticus

released April 1, 2008

Adam Niewood Epic Journey Vol. I & II

release date scheduled August 12, 2008

Vanessa Kafka Into Place

release date scheduled September 16, 2008

Noah Jarrett Knu Moon Project

release date fall 2008