Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East and Gamelan Dharma Swara at Bryant Park - Free Event!
2025-2026 Season Opener
Fri, Aug 15, 2025 – Free Event Co-presented with Bryant Park
7 PM – 9 PM – Outdoors, general admission
Bryant Park Picnic Performance Presented by Bank of America
Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) 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. Songlines (UK) called Jain “one of the leading figures in North America’s burgeoning Asian music scene. A global musical alchemist and cultural agent provocateur.” His 5-piece band (drums, vocals, sax, guitar, bass) delivered a fiery NPR Tiny Desk Concert in 2024. They toured North America appearing at the iconic Monterey Jazz Festival, Calgary Jazz Festival, Victoria Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, National Museum of Asian Art, and the historic Harlem Stage in NYC. In 2022, the band made 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.
The career of Sunny Jain is a celebration of cultural diaspora: deep-rooted tradition that ripples outward, changing – and being changed by – the cultures that it touches. He is a composer, drummer, dhol player, and thought leader. In 2022, Jain joined Planet Drum for their first show in 15 years, playing alongside drumming legends Mickey Hart (The Grateful Dead), Zakir Hussain, and Giovanni Hidalgo.
Called the “Hendrix of dhol” by Manchester Salon (UK), Jain is most known for founding the pioneering band Red Baraat, a frenzied fusion of bhangra, hip-hop, jazz, rock, and sheer, unbridled energy. NPR called them “the best party band in years” and their 2017 NPR Tiny Desk concert was touted as the 8th best TDC of all time by New York Magazine. Jain was a 2023-24 Visiting Scholar and Artist in Residence at Wesleyan University, where he developed his first music theatrical show, Love Force. He was music producer for Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, The Musical in 2023. Most recently, Jain was announced as a 2025 commissioned artist by Soho Repertory Theater, a cultural pillar of NYC, notable for producing avant-garde plays by contemporary writers.
Gamelan Dharma Swara, meaning “a duty of perpetuating sound,” is a leading Balinese music and dance ensemble in the U.S., captivating audiences with their raucous and wondrous performances for over 33 years. Their mix of traditional and contemporary pieces has earned praise from notable publications including the New York Times {”thrilling, mesmerizing, and powerful”) and The New Yorker (“sublime”). As the first non-Balinese group to compete in the Bali Arts Festival, they have toured Bali and performed at prestigious venues including Lincoln Center and MoMA. Proudly led by women, the ensemble is based in Queens, New York – the most diverse county in the US – and is dedicated to celebrating community and promoting inclusion.
About Bryant Park Picnic Performances:
Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America is a free outdoor festival that welcomes all New Yorkers to experience the city’s vibrant arts and culture. The series provides a platform for extraordinary artists and serves as a vital outdoor venue for a wide array of New York’s cultural institutions.