Surface to Air, photo by Lenka Drstakova.

Jazz has always been a hybrid music. In its earliest days, it drew from the African-American experience as well as European classical forms. During the be-bop era, Dizzy Gillespie‘s collaborations with Chano Pozo laid the foundations for Latin jazz, which then gained mass appeal through the Brazilian bossa nova of Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto. Even Dave Brubeck‘s seminal Time Out album had cuts that drew from gypsy and Eastern European influences.

With the ascendancy of South Asia, both on the world stage and in popular culture, it’s only natural that jazz would incorporate elements from this ancient tradition as well. Acts such as Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Ravish Momin and Red Baraat have all infused jazz with their heritage. On Sunday, another example of this subcontinental influence will be on display at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge in the form of Surface to Air, a trio whose rhythmic foundation lies with tabla player and percussionist, Rohin Khemani.

“The influences that each musician brings are broad, ranging from jazz, rock and film music to Indian and Middle Eastern styles,” said Khemani of the group. “The trio truly finds unity in its desire to explore a contemplative sound in simple and complex structures.”

In addition to Khemani, who also plays percussion with Red Baraat, Surface to Air features bassist Jonti Siman and guitarist Jonathan Goldberger. The three musicians have been playing together in various iterations for over ten years, since their days in conservatory. The band honed its sound over many years, and eventually settled on an quiet and subtle aesthetic with a minimalist quality.

The music [we] were writing seemed to breathe freely with the simplicity of acoustic instrumentation,” said Khemani.

On its self-titled album, which came out this year, Surface to Air captured the sense of space and introspection that the trio had honed over years of live performance. The material places the group’s interaction over the voice of any individual member. Most of the songs on the recording are original, but they also cover the Icelandic band, Sigur Rós, and composer Carter Burwell, who has scored several films by the Coen brothers.

The recording, however, is only a starting off point when it comes to Surface to Air’s live performance. The trio believes there can be a difference between what makes an interesting live performance and documenting a cohesive recording. For example, Goldberger often uses a combination of electric and acoustic instruments in performance with effects and textures that go, at times, far beyond what he did in the studio.

“Performing improvised music for Surface to Air is about furthering that exploration and taking the music somewhere new with every performance,” Kemani said. “In the ten plus years the musicians have been playing together, exploration has always been a core philosophy.”

Surface to Air will perform at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge on Sunday, June 17, 2011. 8:30 p.m. $5.