Red Baraat is a band we recently came across and they are pretty unique, something we can't say very often. They describe themselves as "the first and only dhol 'n' brass band of its kind in the States melding the infectious North Indian rhythm Bhangra with brass funk and expressing the human spirit through improvisation and a powerful live sound." They are based in Brooklyn, which is where we caught them when they performed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art for Target First Saturdays. The mixture of five horn players (clarinet/saxophone, trumpet, bass trumpet, trombone, sousaphone) and three percussionists makes for a PARTY. To us, it seemed like the Indian music was mixed with New Orleans second line. Their leader, Sunny Jain, is a very enthusiastic performer who keeps the crowd hyped.
We picked up their debut album, "Chaal Baby," last week. Although it is not as exciting as their live show, a real band should be better live and their jazz roots show up well on the recording. Our favorite track, by far, is "Punjabi Wedding Song," but "Tunak Tunak Tun" and "Hey Jamalo" are also really good. They've got a bunch of upcoming dates around NYC and you need to go check these guys out.
www.redbaraat.com
