Red Baraat. Photo by Ferny Chung / Retouching by Louis F. Cuffari.

South Asian-Americans are becoming increasingly influential in the jazz community. Pianist Vijay Iyer has long been a critical favorite, as has Iyer’s frequent collaborator, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. There are also a plethora of young percussionists coming up through the ranks, including Ravish Momin and Sameer Gupta. Another name to add to this list is Sunny Jain, a talented drummer and composer who will be in town on Friday, leading a band at U Street Music Hall.

All too often, attempts to fuse disparate world music come off as little more than a gimmick, with composers using international sounds as mere window dressing. But a common trait among these artists is their willingness to embrace both their ancestral and Western music traditions, while also taking the time to study and develop a deep understanding of each.

“I was born and raised here, but grew up in what seemed like two disparate cultures,” explained Jain during a recent interview with DCist. “With a lot of my music, I was trying to reconcile the fact that I was feeling marginalized.”

On Friday, Jain will perform with his 9-piece brass band, Red Baraat. The term, baraat, refers to a procession that is common to the wedding ceremonies of northern India and Pakistan, especially the Punjab region of those countries. The ritual is often set to the driving rhythms of the dhol, a percussion instrument that is widely used in that part of the subcontinent’s bhangra dance music. While Jain earned his reputation playing drumset, he is also a skilled dholi, and chose the instrument to be the driving force behind Red Baraat.

“It was a sound I heard a lot growing up, just being Punjabi and what not,” said Jain. “Also bhangra is music a lot of desis [South Asians] identify with, even if they aren’t Punjabi.”

Jain, who has used electronics extensively with previous groups, knew that he wanted Red Baraat to be an all acoustic ensemble. He also did not want any chordal instrument, and so he assembled a band made up entirely of horns and percussion. Jain also wanted to steer away from a traditional jazz sound, so he specifically chose musicians who came from varied musical and ethnic backgrounds.The band played its first shows in September, 2008. The response was so immediate that Red Baraat immediately began booking enough shows that the material matured very quickly, and their first album, Chaal Baby, was recorded in November of that year. A live follow-up came out in 2011. The band’s second studio effort, Shruggy Ji, will be released in coming months, and features original material composed by several of Red Baraat’s members.

“This is very much a band,” Jain said. “I wanted everyone’s background to seep into the music. We’re getting better at writing for each other.”

Red Baraat’s sound is international and infectious. The band has already appeared at major festivals North America and the U.K., and is well-received wherever it goes. Part of the appeal is that within the music, there is something familiar to everyone.

“I found that with audience, whatever background they’re coming from, they find that in our music,” said Jain. “What they’re going to come away with is some sense of unity. The band reflects the joyful audience that we have.”

Sunny Jain & Red Baraat will perform at U Street Music Hall on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 7 p.m. $15.