Sarathy Korwar was born in the US and grew up in Ahmedabad and Chennai in India. Korwar eventually moved to London, where he trained as a classical tabla player under Sanju Sahai and graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies, where he focused on the adaptation of Indian classical rhythmic material to non-Indian percussion instruments.

In London, Korwar made connections with saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings (Sons Of Kemet/The Comet Is Coming) and pianist, bow player and composer Cara Stacey, and he has also worked with clarinettist Arun Ghosh. He soon began to formulate the concept for his debut album, which would necessitate a trip to India to record the Sidi community. In late 2014 Korwar made a successful application to The Steve Reid Foundation, a charitable trust established to honour the name of the late US jazz drummer by assisting young musicians.

Korwar’s debut album Day To Day fuses traditional folk music of the Sidi community in India (combining East African, Sufi and Indian influences) with jazz and electronics. The players are: Sarathy Korwar (drums, tabla, electronics), Sidi Troupe (vocals, traditional instruments), Shabaka Hutchings (bass clarinet, saxophone), Giuliano Modarelli (guitar), Domenico Angarano (bass), Al Macsween (piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards).

Day To Day is released by Ninja Tune/The Steve Reid Foundation on 8 July. A launch event will be held at Total Refreshment Centre in London on 14 July.