Rudresh Mananthappa Hero Trio

“Jaw-dropping… one of the finest saxophonists going” (Pitchfork), Rudresh Mahanthappa is a visionary artist, blending a master’s touch on the alto saxophone with an exploratory compositional voice informed by the Carnatic musical traditions of his south Indian heritage.

Made up of longtime associates François Moutin on bass and Rudy Royston on drums, Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio focuses not on the leader’s compositions but reimagined versions of the music that has influenced and inspired him over the years. The project’s eponymous recorded debut includes startlingly original arrangements of material ranging from Charlie Parker’s “Red Cross” and Keith Jarrett’s “The Windup” to Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”

Among the most acclaimed musicians of his generation, Mahanthappa is a seven-time “Alto Saxophonist of the Year” in the DownBeat Critics Poll, recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award winner, and the Village Voice’s “Best Jazz Artist” in 2015. Born in Trieste, Italy and raised in Colorado, Mahanthappa studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music before moving to New York in 1997 and forging a long-term musical partnership with renowned pianist and composer Vijay Iyer. Since then, Mahanthappa has collaborated with Jack DeJohnette, Danilo Pérez, and Arturo O’Farrill’s Latin Jazz Orchestra while heading a number of scintillating ensembles.