Sridhar/Thayil

Formed in late 2007, "Suman Sridhar and Jeet Thayil combine their unmistakable talents of word-smithing, song writing and all-round performing to cook up a jazz-toned, grass-root feel stew pot of sexy groove music." - Times of India.

"The beat is core to the music of Sridhar/Thayil; it is the first ‘horseman of their funk.’"

"Suman Sridhar got words spilling from her mouth, eyes and finger tips...You can hear this artist’s passion in her voice...It rolls over the jazz structures like the tones of a mature Vanessa Paradis meets Bjork reborn with the controlled honey that comes with Indian classical training."

"Thayil’s gravelly, clear cut delivery..You need to hear the man tell it on ‘This Be the Beat’ to truly believe that he knows his jazz! He has that sensibility of the vein-and-bone four piece blues band, where it takes four tired, jazz-souled people to swing an entire club through the night."

Read the full Priyanka Joseph, Times of India review"Refreshingly engrossing and honest."

"Whatever does happen in the future, there’s no denying they’re an unabashedly intriguing act in the present. If not for the inevitable fascination of the male-female dynamic, if not for the eclectic mix of style and genre, then most definitely for their penchant to borrow and lend between art forms..."

Their first gig was at the Galle festival in Sri Lanka, Jan 2008.

Exclusive Interview at Indiecision by Arjun Ravi.

Jeet Thayil is a performance poet, songwriter, and author of four books including 'These Errors are Correct' (Tranquebar, 2008). He has been described as "a master of the knockout lyric punchline.” Jeet has performed at venues as diverse as the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (Mumbai), the Knitting Factory (NYC), and the Edinborough Book Festival (UK); and with bands such as Atomic forest, Crosswinds, Chronic Blues Band (India) and Bombay Down (NYC). His TV and audio programs have aired on CNN-IBN and All India Radio.

Suman Sridhar is a singer, actor, and songwriter. She grew up in Mumbai with Carnatic and Hindustani classical music and is trained in Western classical music (NJ). Suman directed and produced 'Yoni Ki Baat' in NJ, USA, where she sang with several jazz bands. Her vocals appear on independent albums including 'Bliss Beyond' (Earth Tones Music, 2005). On stage, she has appeared in musicals such as My Fair Lady (USA) and Exit the King (India). Suman has been described as a "wonderful ironic soprano" who "provides depth with a clear sound."