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Rudresh Mahanthappa

 

Hailed by Pitchfork as “jaw-dropping… one of the finest saxophonists going,” alto saxophonist, composer and educator Rudresh Mahanthappa is widely known as one of the premier voices in jazz of the 21st century. He has over a dozen albums to his credit, including the acclaimed Bird Calls, which topped many critics’ best-of-year lists for 2015 and was hailed by PopMatters as “complex, rhythmically vital, free in spirit while still criss-crossed with mutating structures.” His most recent release, Hero Trio, was considered to be one of the best jazz albums of 2020 by critics and fans alike.  Rudresh has been named alto saxophonist of the year for nine of the last eleven years running in Downbeat Magazine’s International Critics’ Polls (2011-2013, 2015-2018, 2020-1), and for five consecutive years by the Jazz Journalists’ Association (2009-2013) and again in 2016. He won alto saxophonist of the year in the 2015-2018 & 2020 JazzTimes Magazine Critics’ Polls and was named the Village Voice’s "Best Jazz Artist" in 2015.  He has also received the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, among other honors, and is currently the Anthony H. P. Lee ’79 Director of Jazz at Princeton University.

Born in Trieste, Italy to Indian émigrés in 1971, Mahanthappa was brought up in Boulder, Colorado and gained proficiency playing everything from current pop to Dixieland. He went on to studies at North Texas, Berklee and DePaul University (as well as the Stanford Jazz Workshop) and came to settle in Chicago. Soon after moving to New York in 1997 he formed his own quartet featuring pianist Vijay Iyer. The band recorded an enduring sequence of albums, Black Water, Mother Tongue and Codebook, each highlighting Mahanthappa’s inventive methodologies and deeply personal approach to composition. He and Iyer also formed the duo Raw Materials.

 

Coming deeper into contact with the Carnatic music of his parents’ native southern India, Mahanthappa partnered in 2008 with fellow altoist Kadri Gopalnath and the Dakshina Ensemble for Kinsmen, garnering wide acclaim. Apti, the first outing by Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition (with Pakistani-born Rez Abbasi on guitar and Dan Weiss on tabla), saw release the same year; Agrima followed nine years later and considerably expanded the trio’s sonic ambitions.  In 2020, Rudresh released Hero Trio, an album of “covers” paying tribute to his musical heroes followed by the digital EP Animal Crossing in 2022 with the same trio.  He also co-led a project celebrating the centenary of Charlie Parker with the blessing of the Parker estate.

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2
Album Review

Michael Dease: Best Next Thing

Read "Best Next Thing" reviewed by Kyle Simpler


Like many other talented musicians, Michael Dease always looks for ways to take his music to the next level. He is continually exploring and looking ahead rather than simply resting on his laurels. Because of this passion and determination, he has earned a reputation as a top session player and as a band leader in his own right. Best Next Thing is Dease's ninth album for Posi-Tone Records, and it is an impressive addition to his discography. With ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Rudresh Mahanthappa, Emile Parisien & Felix Henkelhausen

Read "Rudresh Mahanthappa, Emile Parisien & Felix Henkelhausen" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


Several debut recordings on this episode for you and music from Rudresh Mahanthappa & his Hero Trio, drummer Maximilian Hering from Germany, bassist Felix Henkelhausen also from Germany, the trio In Real Time (Carol Liebowitz, Adam Lane & Andrew Drury), Argentinean bass clarinetist Emma Famin, French saxophonist Emile Parisien & the striking duo of saxophonist Dave Rempis and drummer Avreeayl Ra. Playlist Andrew Cyrille, Enrico Rava & William Parker “Improvisation No. 1" from 2 Blues For Cecil (Tum ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

Rudresh Mahanthappa: Sounds of Home and Heroes

Read "Rudresh Mahanthappa: Sounds of Home and Heroes" reviewed by Russell Perry


In the 13 years since 2008, the alto saxophone award in the annual Jazz Journalists Association awards program has gone to either Rudresh Mahanthappa or Miguel Zenón ten times. Despite having very different sounds and approaches to the saxophone, their creative paths have much in common. Both began recording around the turn of the century. Both have paid homage to major alto heroes —Mahantahappa to Charlie Parker and Zenón to Ornette Coleman. And both have explored the intersection of their ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Rudresh Mahanthappa and His Heroes

Read "Rudresh Mahanthappa and His Heroes" reviewed by David Bixler


Rudresh Mahanthappa's latest recording, Hero Trio, pays tribute to his musical heroes. We spoke to the alto saxophonist about his new trio release featuring Francois Moutin on bass and Rudy Royston on drums and cymbals and how Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Stevie Wonder, and yes even Johnny Cash have influenced his musical world. ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Bird at 100: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Joe Lovano, Vincent Herring and More

Read "Bird at 100:  Rudresh Mahanthappa, Joe Lovano, Vincent Herring and More" reviewed by Russell Perry


Charlie Parker was born 100 years ago (August 29, 1920). Although he died at the age of 34 in 1955, his legacy is so powerful that jazz would have been very different without his contributions. In the intervening 65 years, Bird's music has continued to influence and inspire several generations of players and fans. In the past decade, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Joe Lovano and the alto trio of Vincent Herring, Gary Bartz and Bobby Watson have dedicated projects to his music. ...

4
Album Review

Rudresh Mahanthappa: Hero Trio

Read "Hero Trio" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa previously espoused his love of Charlie Parker on his album Bird Calls (ACT, 2015). Here he expands on that to pay tribute to, not only Parker, but other influences such as Ornette Coleman, Johnny Cash, and Keith Jarrett. Mahanthappa leads a freewheeling trio, with Francois Moutin on bass and Rudy Royston on drums, which romps through a variety of tunes. On Stevie Wonder's “Overjoyed" his alto sings brightly while the rhythm section skips and ...

Album Review

Rudresh Mahanthappa: Hero Trio

Read "Hero Trio" reviewed by Emmanuel Di Tommaso


La sedicesima produzione discografica del sassofonista statunitense di origini indiane Rudresh Mahanthappa rappresenta un nuovo capitolo del progetto di fusione fra la musica carnatica dell'India meridionale e la musica occidentale contemporanea che ne ha caratterizzato l'intera carriera artistica fin dagli inizi negli anni Novanta, anticipando un percorso di sperimentazioni e commistioni intrapreso in anni recenti, tra gli altri, anche dal settetto dei Crosscurrents e dal collettivo dei Brooklyn Raga Massive. Hero Trio contiene nove brani che vanno ben ...

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2

Festival

Princeton University Jazz Festival 2023 Features Artemis, Rudresh Mahanthappa And Bird Calls, and Rufus Reid on April 15

Princeton University Jazz Festival 2023 Features Artemis, Rudresh Mahanthappa And Bird Calls, and Rufus Reid on April 15

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications

Jazz at Princeton University, helmed by acclaimed saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa, presents the annual Princeton University Jazz Festival on Saturday, April 15. The festival features Artemis, Jazz at Princeton’s chair Rudresh Mahanthappa and his Bird Calls ensemble, jazz greats playing with Princeton’s exceptional student groups, and the legendary Rufus Reid with the Creative Large Ensemble. Free daytime performances, to be held outdoors on Richardson Lawn in front of Princeton’s Richardson Auditorium, begin at noon. A ticketed event with the Creative Large ...

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Performance / Tour

Tues., Oct. 13: Rudresh Mahanthappa Celebrates 'Hero Trio' With Streaming Album Release Concert

Tues., Oct. 13: Rudresh Mahanthappa Celebrates 'Hero Trio' With Streaming Album Release Concert

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications

Alto saxophone star Rudresh Mahanthappa celebrates the release of Hero Trio—a wide-ranging session encompassing the music of his formative influences including Charlie Parker, Stevie Wonder, Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman and Johnny Cash—with a live stream of the pre-recorded album concert along with a live Q & A moderated by Nate Chinen of WBGO. The event takes place on Tuesday, October 13 at 3 and 8 p.m. EDT. Tickets are $10. Get tickets The last time Rudresh Mahanthappa went into the ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz At Princeton University Announces Dynamic 2018-2019 Season November 14, 2018 – May 11, 2019

Jazz At Princeton University Announces Dynamic 2018-2019 Season  November 14, 2018 – May 11, 2019

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications

Jazz at Princeton University, helmed by acclaimed saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa, presents a dynamic and compelling 2018-2019 Season, November 14, 2018 – May 11, 2019. Highlights include performances by student groups joined by guest artists including Blue Note Records trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, legendary vocalist Nnenna Freelon, and Grammy winner and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. In April, Jazz at Princeton will present Princeton University’s first-ever outdoor Jazz Festival. “This year’s Jazz at Princeton program is going to be extraordinary,” says Mahanthappa. “With ...

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Recording

This Is Your Vinyl Notice

This Is Your Vinyl Notice

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

The long-playing 33&1/3 RPM record is far from dead. Following up on the July 12 Rifftides review of Duck Baker’s LP of Thelonious Monk compositions, here are three other relatively recent vinyl albums worthy of your acquaintance. Rudresh Mahanthappa Indo-Pak Coalition, Agrima (Mahanthappa) Nine years following their first album, Apti, alto saxophonist Mahanthappa’s trio further expand on the possibilities in combining music from his double heritage, American and Pakistani. Accompanied by the formidably energetic drummer and tabla player Dan Weiss ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz At Princeton University Announces Broad And Dynamic 2017-2018 Season: October 14, 2017 – May 12, 2018

Jazz At Princeton University Announces Broad And Dynamic 2017-2018 Season:  October 14, 2017 – May 12, 2018

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications

Jazz at Princeton University, helmed by acclaimed saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa, presents a rich and varied 2017-2018 season, October 14, 2017 – May 12, 2018. Highlights include performances by student groups joined by guest artists including celebrated pianist Gerald Clayton, renowned vocalist Theo Bleckmann, saxophone legend Archie Shepp with Amina Claudine Myers, and venerable Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez. “I am thrilled to build upon what we started last year in presenting the myriad voices that make up this living art form ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Rudresh Mahanthappa

Jazz Musician of the Day: Rudresh Mahanthappa

Source: Michael Ricci


Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Miles Davis Memorial Project Fundraiser, and More

Jazz This Week: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Miles Davis Memorial Project Fundraiser, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week brings both the official start of spring and an assortment of jazz and creative music music performances in and around St. Louis, including the local debut of a fast-rising saxophone star; a couple of big band concerts; a benefit to raise money for a statue honoring Miles Davis, and much more. Let's go to the highlights... Tonight, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa (pictured) makes his St. Louis debut, opening a four-night stand with his band Gamak at Jazz at the ...

Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Rudresh Mahanthappa's Gamak

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Rudresh Mahanthappa's Gamak

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, let's look at some videos of alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, who will be making his St. Louis debut with his group Gamak starting Wednesday, March 19 through Saturday, March 22 at Jazz at the Bistro. The son of Indian emigrants to the United States, the 42-year-old Mahanthappa is known particularly for combining jazz with elements of South Indian classical music. He grew up in Boulder, Colorado; graduated from Berklee College of Music; and earned an MFA in jazz ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Rudresh Mahanthappa

Jazz Musician of the Day: Rudresh Mahanthappa

Source: Michael Ricci


Recording

Rudresh Mahanthappa's "Gamak" - Album Release at le Poisson Rouge, Thursday, April 11

Rudresh Mahanthappa's "Gamak" - Album Release at le Poisson Rouge, Thursday, April 11

Source: DL Media

Mahanthappa’s Thirteenth Album, Gamak, Continues the Saxophonist’s Multi-Directional Evolution as a Leader Alto saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa is scheduled to perform with his new quartet, Gamak, at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on Thursday, April 11 at 7:30pm. The performance is in support of the group’s self-titled release (available January 29 via ACT Music) and will feature guitarist David “Fuze” Fiuczynski, bassist François Moutin and drummer Dan Weiss. The idea of hybridity has been central to the music of Mahanthappa ...

Press fro Hero Trio:

 

RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA – HERO TRIO

 

Rudresh is “making truly some of the most original jazz out there at the moment." – Brian Zimmerman, Jazziz

 

One of “the best jazz recordings of 2020 to date…. Mahanthappa salutes the musical heroes who have shaped his art… a bracing reexamination of music by these innovators, as filtered through a bebop and post-bop lens. Mahanthappa’s ferocity of expression and technical fluidity in Parker’s ‘Red Cross’ and other works underscores just how deeply Bird has influenced him.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

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Primary Instrument

Saxophone, alto

Location

Newark

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Best Next Thing

Posi-Tone Records
2022

buy

Hero Trio

Whirlwind Recordings
2020

buy

InWhatStrumentals

Pi Recordings
2020

buy

Agrima

Self Produced
2017

buy

Bird Calls

ACT Music
2015

buy

Apti

From: Apti
By Rudresh Mahanthappa

Enhanced Performance

From: Codebook
By Rudresh Mahanthappa

Videos

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