During the past decade or so, Rez Abbasi has established himself as one of the leading guitarists in jazz. The musician—who was born in Pakistan, grew up in California, and attended college in both Los Angeles and New York—has become known for innovative fusions of jazz with Indian and Pakistani musical traditions, as well as for unique approaches to soundtrack music and a recording where he shared the frontline with a harpist. But he pushes boundaries in other ways as well. On “Intents and Purposes” (Enja, 2015), he drew his repertoire from the electric jazz fusion movement of the early ’70s but performed the music with...

Source: Wall Street Journal September 05, 2020 10:52 UTC