Percussionist

Sunny Jain takes musical inspiration from the scores of Bollywood classics, Punjabi folk traditions, jazz improvisation, hip-hop and more. Whether playing a Western drum kit or the Punjabi dhol, Jain leads his band with unbridled energy and joy. In this interactive concert, students will learn a variety of rhythms in differing musical styles, while enjoying an exuberant mash up of South Asian and Western music.

EPSG:4326

School Performance: Sunny Jain (KCYS)

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

One of the leading figures in North America's burgeoning Asian music scene, Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East encompasses myriad facets of Jain's identity both as a first-generation South Asian-American and as a global musician, from his own family's immigration story to his eclectic musical upbringing. He sources musical inspiration from the scores of Bollywood classics, Punjabi folk traditions, jazz improvisation, and rollicking psychedelic styles. An incendiary master of the South Asian drum called a dhol, Jain joined Grateful Dead's drummer Mickey Hart's Planet Drum in 2022 for their first show in 15 years, playing alongside drumming legends Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo.

Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East

Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East encompasses myriad facets of Jain’s identity both as a first-generation South Asian-American and as a global musician, from his own family’s immigration story to his eclectic musical upbringing. In recasting the immigrant—steeped in the courage to leave a familiar homeland for a new beginning—as the modern-day cowboy and cowgirl, Jain sources musical inspiration from the scores of Bollywood classics and Spaghetti Westerns, Punjabi folk traditions, jazz improvisation, and rollicking psychedelic styles. 

Sunny Jain’s WILD WILD EAST

Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre

Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East (Smithsonian Folkways 2020) encompasses myriad facets of Jain’s identity both as a first-generation South Asian–American and as a global musician, from his own family’s immigration story to his eclectic musical upbringing. In recasting the immigrant—steeped in the courage to leave a familiar homeland for a new beginning — as the modern-day cowboy and cowgirl, Jain sources musical inspiration from the scores of Bollywood classics and Spaghetti Westerns, Punjabi folk traditions, jazz improvisation, and rollicking psychedelic styles. Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East is rooted in the contemporary global soundscape, singing in a new voice, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” In 2022, the band embarked on a milestone tour to Pakistan headlining Music Mela in Islamabad, the Lahore Jazz Festival and performing with master Sufi dhol drummers Nasir Sain Wajdani and Sain Tanveer. Just months prior, the group performed on the National Mall in Washington D.C. for the renowned Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East

Monterey County Fairgrounds

Get ready to dance! The Boston Globe called Red Baraat’s irresistible sound “new-breed marching-band music that’s part Punjabi wedding, part New Orleans second line, and all New York.” Led by the charismatic percussionist Sunny Jain, the Brooklyn octet whips up a raucously fun mix of Indian bhangra rhythms, go-go music, jazz, hip-hop and Crescent City brass funk. 



Red Baraat: Festival of Colors

SFJAZZ Center

Since 1998, Joe's Pub has been a home for artists at all levels of development—from early-career artists to those at a critical stage in their careers (like the members of the Joe's Pub Working Group) to international superstars like Alicia Keys and Adele. Join us to celebrate our beloved Joe's Pub on Monday, March 6 and enjoy performances from the next generation of Joe’s Pub artists throughout the evening. We are excited to also celebrate the life of Barbara Maier Gustern, this year’s posthumous Vanguard Honoree.

The 2023 Joe's Pub Gala

Joe's Pub

Sunny Jain (of Red Baraat) is joined by classical Indian dancer Yamini Kalluri, and leading jazz trumpeter Adam O’Farrill as they creatively and collectively explore the breaking and building of traditions.

Sunny Jain’s Dholusion

Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space

Sunny Jain (of Red Baraat) reimagines the soundtrack of his childhood—Jain Bhajans (devotional songs), progressive rock, and jazz. Drums, voice, and ethereal soundscapes coalesce in this meditative, transcendent evening of music.

Sunny Jain's American Lullabies

Masks are encouraged and appreciated, but not mandatory for this event.
A LIMITED NUMBER OF STANDING ROOM ONLY TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE TODAY BY CALLING THE BOX OFFICE AT 212.864.5400 STARTING AT 2PM.

Sunny Jain’s Love Force centers on the Punjabi dhol drum, blurring the lines of performer and audience by creating a collective effervescence. Drawing from tradition, rituals and in the moment musical improvisation, the show reflects the ethos of Leo Tolstoy, B.R. Ambedkar, Martin Luther King, Jr, Audre Lorde and Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II. 

Sunny Jain: Love Force

Don’t miss this bold, new, multimedia work by Sunny Jain (trailblazing percussionist, composer, and bandleader of the electrifying band Red Baraat). Joined by an ensemble of dynamic musicians, this evening weaves together powerful music, ancestral stories, and intimate monologues to explore Jain’s family history across Pakistan and India, and his journey toward music as a tool for healing and change. Satyagraha—Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance—echoes throughout the piece as a call for love, unity, and justice in a fractured world.

Percussionist

Sunny Jain

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 9, 2026

Sunny Jain's Love Force · Symphony Space

Past events

20 - 21 Nov, 2025

School Performance: Sunny Jain (KCYS) · Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

Nov 20, 2025

Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East · Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

About

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