Dream Shanti is an expansive cross-cultural collective that fluidly bridges the traditions of Indian classical music with American jazz and funk. Helmed by saxophonist and woodwind specialist Jeff Coffin, the project evolved from informal jam sessions into a highly structured synthesis of East and West. The ensemble's core foundation is built upon the virtuosic interplay of Subrata Bhattacharya on tabla and Indrajit Banerjee on sitar, who interweave traditional subcontinental scalar frameworks with western instrumentation. The resulting sound—captured on their 2019 Ear Up Records release, Music in Our Dreams — avoids the common pitfalls of superficial world fusion, instead offering a deeply integrated musical architecture in which meditative phrasing meets sweat-inducing, polyrhythmic grooves.
To anchor this ambitious genre-blending, the collective relies on an estimable roster of rhythmic heavyweights to propel the sonic narrative forward. The expanded lineup features the percussive mastery of Roy "Futureman" Wooten and Jordan Perlson, alongside the nimble piano work of Chris Walters and the harmonium of Ryoko Suzuki. A crucial element of the ensemble's rhythmic drive is provided by Coffin's Dave Matthews Band cohorts, including drummer Carter Beauford and bassist Stefan Lessard. Lessard's precise work on both electric and acoustic bass provides a vital anchor for the project, laying down a grounded, melodic low end that allows the intricate, soaring interplay between the traditional Indian instruments and western woodwinds to truly breathe.
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