Rudresh Mahanthappa
Guggenheim fellow and 2009 Downbeat International Critics Poll Winner (“Rising Star-Jazz Artist” and “Rising Star-Alto Saxophone”) Rudresh Mahanthappa is one of the most innovative young musicians and composers in jazz today.
Named Alto Saxophonist of the Year for 2009 by the Jazz Journalist Association, 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 recent release for Pi Recordings Kinsmen featuring Carnatic saxophone legend Kadri Gopalnath (September 25, 2008) was named one of the Top Jazz CDs of 2008 by over 20 news sources including the New York Times, NPR, BBC, Boston Globe, slate.com, JazzTimes, and the Village Voice to name just a few. His previous quartet release for Pi release Codebook (September 26, 2006) was named one of the Top Jazz Albums of 2006 by The Village Voice, Jazztimes, and The Denver Post and received rave reviews from Downbeat, 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. As a saxophonist, Mahanthappa has achieved international recognition performing regularly at jazz festivals and clubs worldwide. 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 holds a Bachelors of Music Degree in jazz performance from Berklee College of Music and a Masters of Music degree in jazz composition from Chicago's DePaul University. He now teaches at The New School University. Rudresh Mahanthappa currently lives in New York where he is clearly regarded as an important and influential voice in the jazz world. Rudresh K. Mahanthappa uses Vandoren reeds exclusively. Mahanthappa is also a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow.
As a saxophonist, Mahanthappa has achieved international recognition performing regularly at jazz festivals and clubs worldwide. He has also worked as a sideman with such jazz luminaries as David Murray, Steve Coleman, Jack DeJohnette, Samir Chatterjee, Von Freeman, Tim Hagans, Fareed Haque, Vijay Iyer, Howard Levy, David Liebman, Greg Osby, and Dr. Lonnie Smith.
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.
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Album Review
- Agrima by Jerome Wilson
Multiple Reviews
Album Review
- Hero Trio by Mark Corroto
Radio & Podcasts
Album Review
- Hero Trio by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Radio & Podcasts
Album Review
- Hero Trio by Jerome Wilson
Radio & Podcasts
- Rudresh Mahanthappa and His Heroes
- Rudresh Mahanthappa: Sounds of Home and Heroes
- Rudresh Mahanthappa, Emile Parisien & Felix Henkelhausen
October 12, 2020
Tues., Oct. 13: Rudresh Mahanthappa Celebrates 'Hero Trio' With...
October 08, 2018
Jazz At Princeton University Announces Dynamic 2018-2019 Season ...
July 17, 2018
September 25, 2017
Jazz At Princeton University Announces Broad And Dynamic 2017-2018...
May 04, 2014
Jazz Musician of the Day: Rudresh Mahanthappa
March 20, 2014
Jazz This Week: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Miles Davis Memorial Project...
March 09, 2014
STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Rudresh Mahanthappa's Gamak
May 04, 2013
Jazz Musician of the Day: Rudresh Mahanthappa
March 02, 2013
Rudresh Mahanthappa's "Gamak" - Album Release at le Poisson Rouge,...
May 04, 2012
"Mahanthappa’s chops are practically unparalleled. . . making music unlike anything else in the city today. This kind of elevation and refinement is not simply a cut above the norm; it arguably redefines the norm." — allaboutjazz.com
"Mahanthappa creates a music that is at once technically brilliant yet musically cogent, harmonically adventurous yet expressively straightforward. Mahanthappa takes listeners into fascinating Eastern Idioms that are otherwise virtually unheard in jazz today." —Chicago Tribune
Primary Instrument
Saxophone, alto
Location
Trenton
Willing to teach
Advanced only
Charlie Parker
saxophone, altoPhotos
Album Discography
Apti
From: AptiBy Rudresh Mahanthappa
Enhanced Performance
From: CodebookBy Rudresh Mahanthappa