Jazz comes in many forms. This one is explosive, energetic, and tireless…It’s also a lot of fun.
Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East takes over LeFrak Concert Hall in Queens College on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 8 pm.
Jain, who was born in Rochester to Indian parents, plays the dhol (a double-headed drum) and drums with a passion. Drawing from his family’s story, he recasts the immigrant as the modern-day cowboy, inspired by Bollywood classics, Spaghetti Westerns, Punjabi traditions, Jazz improvisation, and rollicking psychedelic styles.
“I am large. I contain multitudes,” he’s quoted as saying
Meanwhile, his group creates hypnotic rhythms that intertwine with Hindustani vocals, saxophone, guitar, and plenty of percussion.
Admission is $25.
As a pioneer in the emerging South Asian Jazz movement, Jain has won composition and performance grants from the Aaron Copland Music Fund, Chamber Music America, globalFEST, Meet the Composer, and Mid Atlantic Arts. In 2002, he was named a Jazz Ambassador by the U.S. Department of State and the Kennedy Center.
To continue with the “tireless” and “eclectic” themes, Jain has written two books with Alfred Publishing: The Total Jazz Drummer and Drum Atlas: India. He’s also received a 2021 MAP Fund grant to support developing his first musical theater work, Love Force. Then, there are his speaking engagements at the White House AAPI conference, Harvard University, New York University, Chamber Music America, and so on and so on.
LeFrak Concert Hall’s address is 153-49 Reeves Ave. in Flushing. A few free parking lots are within walking distance.
