The Alaya Project

The Alaya Project is an Oakland, California ensemble that sets Carnatic classical music against jazz and funk, a sound the band and Bay Area press describe as Indo-jazz-funk.

Members: - Rohan Krishnamurthy - drum set and Carnatic percussion (mridangam, khanjira, ghatam, konnakol) - Prasant Radhakrishnan - alto saxophone - Colin Hogan - piano, keyboards, accordion

The trio grew out of an UnderCover Presents production in the Bay Area, where the three longtime collaborators first played together as a unit. Their music pairs Carnatic ragas and rhythmic cycles with jazz improvisation and Oakland funk; Krishnamurthy has described what the group does as "quintessentially Bay Area and Oakland."

Their self-titled debut album was released on 15 August 2022. It adds Cory Combs on bass and Aditya Prakash on vocals, and sets original compositions alongside an arrangement of the Beatles' "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" The record was engineered by Neil Godbole at Airship Laboratories, with artwork by Saish Kotecha.