Rez Abbasi Trio
Biography Rez Abbasi Trio
For over a decade, Rez Abbasi has been blazing a new trail as a leading figure in cutting-edge South Asian-American jazz. A quicksilver guitarist who melds jazz with the musical strains of his Pakistani heritage, including the music of Qawwali, his work spans far and wide, including performances with Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition (at the Flynn in 2011), Vijay Iyer (at the 2012 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival), and Indian vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia. Abbasi and his elite quintet perform music from his latest album, Suno Suno, along with new compositions that create the perfect hybrid of modern jazz and world inflections.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, removed at the age of four to the vastness of Southern California, schooled at the University of Southern California and the Manhattan School of Music in jazz and classical music, along with a pilgrimage in India under the tutelage of master percussionist, Ustad Alla Rakha, Rez Abbasi is a vivid synthesis of all the above stated influences and genres. Making New York home for the past 20 years, Abbasi has developed a unique sound both as a composer and an instrumentalist and is considered by many to be one of the foremost modern jazz guitar players the world over. He has honed his skills with performances throughout Europe, Canada, the U.S., Mexico and India. He has performed and recorded with many jazz greats including, Grammy winner Ruth Brown, Peter Erskine, Kenny Werner, Barre Phillips, Tim Hagans, Marc Johnson, Billy Hart, Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith, Gary Thomas, Dave Douglas, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Mike Clark, Tony Malaby, George Brooks, Ronu Majumdar, Kadri Gopalnath, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Marilyn Crispell, Greg Osby, Howard Levy and a host of others.
With nine albums of original compositions under his belt, Rez Abbasi continues to find new groups of musicians to help his musical vision come to life. In 2011, Abbasi reconvened his group, Invocation, to record the follow-up to Things To Come. Suno Suno (Enja, 2011) features his new CMA commissioned compositions that are informed by Qawwali – praise music from Pakistan. The power, joy and depth that Qawwali encompasses can be heard throughout Suno Suno. The album made it on multiple top ten lists of 2011. As a response to Invocation, with its extended ensemble and highly complex compositions, Abbasi felt the need to do a more intimate project. His new trio was formed and it includes long time cohorts, bassist, John Hebert (Andrew Hill) and drummer, Satoshi Takeishi (Eliane Elias). Continuous Beat (Enja, 2012) is Abbasi’s first trio outing and the results are brimming with adventure and subtlety. Along with his cutting edge compositions, the trio reinterprets Monk’s, Off Minor, Jarrett’s, The Cure and others, using guitar electronic manipulation. As he states, “I wanted to excite the listener with a new guitar trio experience. One that retains the warmth of the established trio sound but also employs electronics in order to expand the timbral pallet, especially for the melodies. Ultimately, this approach not only gives clarity to the solos but also keeps the listener’s aural sense stimulated.” Voted #2 “Rising Star” guitarist in Down Beat’s 2012 esteemed Critic’s Poll, Rez Abbasi is indeed shining bright.
