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December, 2006
 
Sunny Jain and the Jazz Underground
A Drummer with Vision by Chris DiGirolamo Sunny Jain is a different type of drummer, a drummer with a vision and sound that is always pursued. With his most recent role in the Brooklyn Jazz Underground and his long list of accomplishments, we had a chance to sit with Jain and learn about a drummer we will definitely be hearing more from. InsideCx: Tell us about where you were born and your background as it unfolded into you becoming a drummer. SJ: I was born in Rochester, N.Y., and remember always air drumming along at a very young age to the sound of the tabla or anything that my father or brother were listening to on the reel-to-reel player. At the earliest chance I got (age 10), I started taking drum lessons in school with a teacher by the name of Rich Thompson. It so happened that Rich was a bebop drummer and that's where everything really took off. I already had the strong desire to play drums, but it was Rich who opened up the world of jazz to me and motivated and inspired me to learn this music. At the age of 17, I pretty much knew that I wanted to play drums and be a musician as a profession. InsideCx: The projects and the music you are involved with tell me you have some avant-garde or "outside" influences. Can you share some of them with us? SJ: Honestly, I never really took to avant-garde music, but I guess it's all relative. In the traditional sense of "outside," such as Ornette or Cecil Taylor, I never really got into that type of music. I started in the very traditional school of jazz, from Max Roach to Philly Joe Jones to Art Blakey, and slowly grew into Elvin Jones and Tony Williams. However, I've always carried a deep interest in hearing all types of music and have certainly taken a liking to many types that to a "jazzer" would be blasphemy. So I think it's my openness, as well as the musicians I have had the opportunity to play with, that perhaps highlight my avant-garde influences. I'm willing to experiment and push the envelope and not necessarily play in a manner that subscribes to a ce in the very traditional school of jazz, from Max Roach to Philly Joe Jones to Art Blakey, and slowly grew into Elvin Jones and Tony Williams. However, I've always carried a deep interest in hearing all types of music and have certainly taken a liking to many types that to a "jazzer" would be blasphemy. So I think it's my openness, as well as the musicians I have had the opportunity to play with, that perhaps highlight my avant-garde influences. I'm willing to experiment and push the envelope and not necessarily play in a manner that subscribes to a certain genre. It's bizarre, because I actually really love playing "free," but for some reason I have a difficult time appreciating "free" musicians I do hear. Maybe this will change over time. InsideCx: Tell us about your educational background. Where did you study drums? SJ: I studied with Rich Thompson from ages 10-18. I then went to music school at Rutgers University, N.J., and studied drums with Bobby Thomas and Akira Tana, along with independent studies with Kenny Barron, Ted Dunbar and Ralph Bowen. Immediately after graduating, I took some drum lessons with Victor Lewis and Michael Carvin and also began studying tabla under Paramjyoti Kocherlakota. I don't really play tabla out on gigs, but I love to study the instrument and sit at home and play for myself. InsideCx: Tell us about your involvement with the Brooklyn Jazz Underground. SJ: The Brooklyn Jazz Underground is an association of independent bandleaders with a shared commitment to improvised music. Through cooperative effort, we strive to create a greater awareness of our work. The group presently consists of 10 members, and we have very democratic meetings that meet once or twice a month. We all contribute to the workload and tasks that are required to launch such a cooperative. In the past few months we've launched a website (www.brooklynjazzunderground.org), created a CD sampler, booked a mini-festival at Smalls jazz club in NYC during the annual International Association of Jazz Educators conference, as well as created a panel discussion on artist collectives at the IAJE conference. InsideCx: What do you bring to the BJU as an artist, and specifically as a drummer? SJ: Each of us in the BJU brings something unique as artists and that's what makes this group interesting. I am one of two drummers in the BJU and I happen to be the jazz voice from the South Asian Diaspora. My group, Sunny Jain Collective, performs original music that fuses jazz with pan-Indian music as well as classic Indian songs. InsideCx: What are your hopes for the BJU's future? SJ: I hope that we continue our efforts and make an impression on other musicians and industry folks to all work together for a common goal. Living in a capitalistic society, we can often get very focused on our own individual endeavors, and doing this can often lead to isolation or defeat. I much prefer dialogue, feedback, motivation and working with other like-minded artists. This is particularly crucial to sustaining the arts and especially for their survival in NYC. InsideCx: Which drummers on the scene today would you pay to see? SJ: There are so many great drummers, musicians and bands out there, so you can count on this list being incomplete, but off the top of my head, Joey Baron, Brian Blade, Jack DeJohnette, Zakir Hussain and Dafnis Prieto. Paiste 14" Light Dark Hats We have been very kind to our friends at Paiste over the past few months, in due part because they have been kind to drummers with their great new cymbals. I recently field-tested their new 14" Light Dark Hi Hats and absolutely love them. Last month we looked at the 21" Dark Full Ride, and these are the perfect complement for the drummer who is in love with that type of tone. They are a little on the heavy side, but the sound and design are very unique. With a hammered look and top-notch tone, you may want to go and give them a test drive as well. |