21 May 2021
Making music in quarantine, isolated from bandmates and audiences, feels like the antithesis of everything Sunny Jain has done so far. Composer and dhol player Jain is best known for his work with Brooklyn’s top bhangra party band Red Baraat, famous for exuberant live shows, and his solo debut
Wild Wild East, which came out in February of 2020, was just as dynamic for its collaborative energy.
Fortunately, quarantine didn’t stop Sunny Jain from making new music.
Phoenix Riseis the result of virtual collaborations with 50-odd artists, an assortment of bright, punchy tunes that makes for a vibrant example of fruitful musical connections coming to pass even in the most isolated of circumstances. It’s an eclectic mix in every way, a 72-page book of photographs (of food and instruments) and plant-based recipes accompanying ten tracks that range from country-fried rock to golden age Bollywood, to name just a few pieces of the album’s transcultural patchwork.
The drummer builds on the transnational foundations of his last ambitious album, making the case for global citizenship and international solidarity through culture-spanning music.