Red Baraat

 

iFest Dates/Times

Bud Light World Music Stage
May 7, 4pm
 
Asia Society Texas Center Stage
May 7, 7pm - with Glen David Andrews
May 8, 6:45pm
 
Louisiana Stage sponsored by Green Mountain Energy Company
May 8, 2:30pm
 

Genre

Silk Road/World
 

Bio

Led by dhol player Sunny Jain, Red Baraat delivers a riveting new sound that is coupled with an explosive stage performance and presence.  Comprised of dhol (double-sided, barrel-shaped North Indian drum slung over one shoulder), drumset, percussion, sousaphone, and 5 horns, Red Baraat melds the infectious North Indian rhythm Bhangra with a host of sounds, namely funk, go-go, Latin and jazz.  The NYC-based group is quickly gaining fans across the world because of the experience they bring their audiences.

After the group’s performance at the 2011 globalFEST, Red Baraat was a top pick favorite and featured on PRI’s The World, NPR’s All Songs Considered, New York Times, The Village Voice and Mother Jones magazine.

Red Baraat’s debut CD, Chaal Baby (Sinj Records) was received with an overwhelming positive response and was voted by several music critics as a top world and jazz release of 2010.  Since their inception in October 2008, Red Baraat has delivered blistering performances at globalFEST, Montreal Jazz Festival, Chicago World Music Festival, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Madison World Music Festival, Concert of Colors (Detroit), Droma Gypsy Festival, Pori Jazz Festival (Finland), Molde Jazz Festival (Norway) and Chicago Folks & Roots Festival, among many others.  Red Baraat appeared on John Schaefer's Soundcheck WNYC-FM 93.9, an NPR affiliate, in which they were picked as a top live radio performance of 2009.   They also recorded the credit roll theme song for the movie, The Yes Men Fix the World and performed at the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (NYC) for Ports 1961 runway models.  Red Baraat has been featured in National Geographic, Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Relix and Songlines, among many others and is­ presently working on their follow up CD, Shruggy Ji, to be released in early 2012.

What is a baraat?
Baraat is Hindi for a marriage procession.  In North India, it is a tradition on the day of the wedding for the groom to travel to his bride’s home on a magnificently decorated horse, surrounded by an entourage of family and friends. Led by a dholi and/or a marching band, this joyous celebration naturally induces dancing and singing and is inseparable from the energy and excitement of the musical festivities.

Meet Red Baraat:
Sunny Jain  - dhol / MC
Rohin Khemani - percussion
Tomas Fujiwara - drumset
Arun Luthra - soprano sax
Mike Bomwell - baritone sax
Sonny Singh - trumpet / vocals
MiWi La Lupa - bass trumpet / vocals
Smoota - trombone
John Altieri - sousaphone / rap
 

Listen

 
 

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