Synthesizing jazz with the astutely improvised musical forms of South Asia, the Indo-Pak Coalition transcends any preconception of Indo-jazz fusion. Led by Indian-American saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, this trio with Pakistani-American guitarist Rez Abbasi and rising tabla star Dan Weiss is already turning heads internationally in both the jazz and world music scenes. The Indo-Pak Coalition is pleased to announce the release of their debut album Apti on Innova Records in November 2008.
Guggenheim fellow Rudresh Mahanthappa is one of the most innovative young musicians and composers in jazz today. Floating near the top of the Downbeat International Critics Poll “Rising Star-Alto Saxophone” category for the past six years, 2 in 2008, Rudresh has incorporated the culture of his Indian ancestry and has fused myriad influences to create a truly groundbreaking artistic vision. As a performer, he leads/co-leads seven groups to critical acclaim. His most recent release for Pi Recordings Kinsmen featuring Carnatic saxophone legend Kadri Gopalnath (September 25, 2008) is expected to be named one of the Top Jazz CDs of 2008 and has already topped the jazz radio charts in the US and Canada. His previous quartet release for Pi Codebook (September 26, 2006) was named one of the Top Jazz Albums of 2006 by The Village Voice, Jazztimes, and The Denver Post to name only a few and received rave reviews from Downbeat, Jazztimes, wired.com and Science Magazine. In Europe, Codebook received the esteemed “CHOC DE L'ANNÉE” (album of the year) for 2007 in France’s Jazzman, 4 stars in the UK’s Jazzwise, and received the “Bollino di Marzo” from Italy’s Musica Jazz. This album also reached 7 on US jazz radio charts and 1 on Canadian jazz radio charts. As a composer, Rudresh has received commission grants from the Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund, American Composers Forum, Chamber Music America, and the New York State Council on the Arts to develop new work. Mahanthappa is also a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow.
Making New York home for the past 15 years, Rez Abbasi is considered by many to be one of the foremost modern jazz guitar players on today’s scene. Influenced by music of the Indian sub-continent, Rez has developed a unique sound both as a composer and an instrumentalist. With five albums of original compositions under his belt, Abbasi continues to garner new groups of musicians to help his musical vision come to life. His 2005 recording Snake Charmer created a stir in the music world due to his organic, original approach in blending two complex musical genres together, namely jazz and Indian music. 20th Century Guitar reviewed the CD as, "One of the best examples yet of how to merge Indian music with jazz...Snake Charmer really breaks new ground." In 2006, Rez achieved even greater heights with the follow up album Bazaar on the Zoho Music Label. Abbasi’s music continues to journey through uncharted imaginative territory and achieves results unparalleled in today’s jazz/world music scene.
Top call drummer Dan Weiss, has been studying tabla for the last 7 years exclusively under the guidance of his guru Pandit Samir Chatterjee. He has performed classical Indian music with Ramesh Mishra , Mandira Lahiri , Subra Guha, Anoushka Shankar and Steve Gorn . He has performed in recitals with his teacher in Kolkatta, India.
Thanks so much for the Add. Your music is very imaginative and is yet another expression of a desire to share different elements of diverse approaches to music in general and jazz in particular. Bravo!
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Onward and Upward with Music! Thom & Lorry Gambino New York, New York
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