Rez Abbasi

Jazz guitarist, composer, and producer Rez Abbasi was born in Karachi, Pakistan on August 27, 1965. His family relocated to Los Angeles, California four years later and by the time he was 11, he began studying the guitar. His formative years were spent playing in rock bands, but he switched to jazz and classical after witnessing Ella Fitzgerald perform with guitarist Joe Pass. Rez Abbasi’s primary musical influences are Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, and Bill Frisell. Rez Abbasi studied jazz and classical music at the University of Southern California and Manhattan School of Music. In 1989, Rez Abbasi went to India to study percussion under master table player Alla Rakha. It was during this time that he rekindled his interest in music from India and Pakistan. Living in New York since 1987, he released his self-titled debut album in 1993. His blending of influences has made him one of the most unique guitarists in jazz. Further albums include Third Ear (1995), Out of Body (2002), Bazaar (2006), Suno Suno (2011), Behind the Vibration (2016), and Django-Shift (2020). He has also worked on albums by Kiran Ahluwalia, Dave Pietro, Adam Rudolph, Sunny Jain, Mike Clark, and others.

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