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All Music Guide:
A flexible guitarist who plays mostly fusion but can also handle post-bop, hard bop and standards, Rez Abbasi showed a lot of promise playing around New York in the 1990s. The improviser was born in Karachi, Pakistan and lived there as a baby; he was only three when his parents moved to Los Angeles, where he was raised. Abbasi, who grew up speaking English as his primary language and doesn't speak with even a trace of a Middle Eastern accent, was 22 when he moved to New York in 1987. Abbasi considers Jim Hall his earliest influence on guitar, and Pat Metheny influenced both his playing and writing when he recorded his first album, Third Ear, in 1991-1992. However, Metheny became less of an influence on Abbasi as the 1990s progressed. The mid- to late-'90s found Abbasi (who is also influenced by Bill Frisell) continuing to do a lot of writing and playing his share of Manhattan club dates, while paying the bills with "day gigs" as a music teacher; he recorded Modern Memory in 1996.
Wikipedia:
Rez Abbasi (born August 27, 1965 in Karachi, Pakistan) is an American fusion and jazz guitarist, music producer, and composer.
Abbasi came with his parents to the United States and grew up in Los Angeles. Jim Hall, Pat Metheny, and Bill Frisell were successively his musical influences. He studied at the University of Southern California and Manhattan School of Music jazz and classical music, then he went to India where he learned from percussionist Alla Rakha.
1987 he moved to New York City, where he has since worked. In 1991 he released his first album, which included the talent of Bob Mintzer, Kenny Werner, Gary Thomas, Peter Erskine, Marc Copland, and Michael Formanek. Since then he has played in the fusion genre, post-bop, Hard Bop, and jazz standards. Since the mid-90s, Abbasi has operated as a music teacher and composer. In addition, he has worked as musical director and producer for the singer Kiran Ahluwalia on his album "Wanderlust" (2008).
In his 2005 album Incurred Snake Charmer, which included Indian vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia, he combined jazz and Indian music in his compositions. He is currently working with his Rez Abbasi's Acoustic Quartet (RAAQ), which includes vibraphonist Bill Ware, bassist Stephan Crump, and drummer Eric McPherson. With Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Kiran Ahluwalia, John Weidenmüller, and Dan Weiss he recorded the album Things to Come, for Sunnyside Records. This album was chosen by the magazine Down Beat as one of the best albums of the decade. In addition, Rez was awarded the Chamber Music America Grant.
