Everyone is looking forward to hearing what The Village Voice described as “a fiery blend of raucous Indian bhangra and funky New Orleans brass” when Red Baraat takes the stage on Monday night, June 10. As part of ICNY’s annual gala celebration and awards ceremony, this 8-piece band from Brooklyn is bound to energize and inspire the audience gathered to celebrate “The Courage of Conviction – Then & Now” and to honor:
- Sister Pat Farrell, OSF, Vice President, Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque & Past President, Leadership Conference of Women Religious
- Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian, Veteran Civil Rights Activist & Colleague of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Bill Moyers, Host, PBS Bill Moyers Journal
- Judith Moyers, CEO, Public Affairs Television
- Russell Simmons, Chairman, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding
Formed in 2008, Red Baraat is a pioneering eight-piece band from Brooklyn, New York. Conceived by Sunny Jain, the group has drawn worldwide praise for its singular sound — a merging of hard driving North Indian bhangra rhythms with elements of jazz, go-go, brass funk, and hip-hop.Red Baraat’s sound is infused with a soul and energy that bursts through the seams of its songs. Each player commands his own space with uniquestyle and vervewith no single front man on stage.
Red Baraat has performed at the TED Conference in 2012, in front of a dancing audience of thought leaders including Al Gore, Matt Groening, and David Byrne. They accepted an invitation to the White House, where an assembly of elected and business leaders expecting a string quartet was treated to a full throttle bhangra thrown-down. They were brought clandestinely to Google’s Mountain View Campus by a fan on the inside – and second-lined the joint—with Google employees streaming in from all directions as the event went from zero to viral within two songs. And were handpicked to close the London 2012 Paralympic Games in the center of Trafalgar Square.
The universality of what Red Baraat does is undeniable. And this is no happy accident. It is the product of intention and design. Says Jain, “We are simple creatures that desire community. If we can unite people of all backgrounds and ethnicities to partake in the exuberance of life through the universal language of music, then life is that much sweeter.”
