Rez Abbasi (born August 27, 1965) is a Pakistan-born American jazz guitarist, composer, and record producer based in New York City.

Biography

Abbasi was born in Karachi, Pakistan. When he was four, his family moved to Los Angeles, and at eleven he started learning guitar. He spent his early teens playing in rock bands. Inspired at a concert featuring vocalist Ella Fitzgerald and guitarist Joe Pass, he began to pursue jazz and classical music. Abbasi studied guitar at the University of Southern California and at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

. After graduating in 1989, he spent a couple months in India studying tabla with Alla Rakha, which kindled an interest in the music of India and Pakistan. He traveled to India to study under master tabla player

Ustad Alla Rakha Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi (29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000), popularly known as Alla Rakha, was an Indian tabla player who specialized in Hindustani classical music. He was a frequent accompanist of sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar and was ...

, to develop an East-West fusion style.Cleveland, Barry, "Pakistani-born guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi is in many ways the embodiment of East-West fusion"
'' Guitar Player'', Jan 31, 2011 (updated Nov 15, 2017) However, as he told ''Guitar Player'' magazine, "I’ve never studied the sitar or the sarod because to really learn to play either of them I would have had to give up everything else. So, I learned some of the techniques on what you might call a jazz street level. ... have been influenced by rock and roll and jazz and other music since I was a kid." He has been a member of the Indo-Pak Coalition and Dakshani, two groups led by saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, and has played and arranged for singer Kiran Ahluwalia. He has also worked with

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest, among others. Bi ...

, D. D. Jackson, Dave Liebman, Dave Pietro, Gary Thomas, Gary Versace, Kenny Werner, Marvin Smith, Rick Margitza,

Sunny Jain Sunny is a daytime weather condition. It may refer to: People * Sunny (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Sunny (singer), member of Girls' Generation * Sunny, of Sue and Sunny, who also recorded as a solo artist ...

Tim Hagans Tim Hagans (born August 19, 1954) is an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer. He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Composition for "Box of Cannoli" on ''The Avatar Sessions'' (Fuzzy Music, 2010); Best Contem ...

, and Tony Malaby.

Discography

As leader

* ''Rez Abbasi'' (Self-released, 1993) * ''Third Ear'' (Cathexis, 1995) * ''Modern Memory'' (Cathexis, 1998) * ''Out of Body'' (String Jazz, 2002) * ''Snake Charmer'' (Earth Sounds, 2005) * ''Bazaar'' (Zoho, 2006) * '' Things to Come'' (Sunnyside, 2009) * ''Natural Selection'' (Sunnyside, 2010) * ''Suno Suno'' (Enja, 2011) * ''Continuous Beat'' (Enja, 2012) * ''Behind the Vibration'' (Cuneiform, 2016) * ''Unfiltered Universe'' (Whirlwind, 2017) * ''A Throw of Dice'' (Whirlwind, 2019) * ''Django-Shift'' (Whirlwind, 2020) * ''Oasis'' with Isabelle Oliver (Enja, 2020)

As guest

* Kiran Ahluwalia, ''Aam Zameen: Common Ground'' (Self-released 2011) * Kiran Ahluwalia, ''Wanderlust'' (World Connection, 2007) * Mike Clark, ''Carnival of Soul'' ( Owl Studios, 2010) *

, ''Mango Festival'' (Zoho, 2004) * Rudresh Mahanthappa, ''Kinsmen'' (Pi, 2008) * Rudresh Mahanthappa, ''Apti'' (Innova, 2008) * Dave Pietro, ''The Chakra Suite'' (Challenge, 2008) * Adam Rudolph, ''Turning Towards the Light'' (Cuneiform, 2015)

References

Sources

* ''Bielefeld Catalogue'', 1988 & 2002 * Richard Cook and Brian Morton:'' The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings'', 8th Edition, London, Penguin, 2006,
Official site

External links

Official site
*
Interview (2012)

Rez Abbasi's trio on NYC Radio LIVE!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbasi, Rez Jazz fusion musicians American jazz composers American male jazz composers American music educators American jazz guitarists 1965 births Living people Musicians from Karachi 20th-century American guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Sunnyside Records artists Enja Records artists Cuneiform Records artists Guitarists from New York City