Saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa brings his Hero Trio to Berlin in Minneapolis to pay tribute to his jazz influences.
Rudresh Mahanthappa is back in Minneapolis on Wednesday, November 4, playing Berlin with his Hero Trio. He's a saxophonist and composer who blends progressive jazz with South Indian classical music, a direction shaped by his experience as a second-generation Indian-American. The trio's repertoire for the night is a tribute to the musicians who have influenced him most, and that list is wide: Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett, Johnny Cash, and Stevie Wonder. It's a broad reach, stretching from the bebop and avant-garde of the jazz tradition to country and pop.
That focus on Parker has already come through in his recording. His 2015 album Bird Calls was a tribute to Charlie Parker and was named album of the year by both Downbeat and NPR Music's Jazz Critics Poll. He's also put out Gamak (2013), Samdhi (2010), and Kinsmen (2008), and he runs other projects, including the duo Raw Materials with pianist Vijay Iyer and the Indo-Pak Coalition with guitarist Rez Abbasi.
On stage with him will be François Moutin on bass and Rudy Royston on drums. Together they'll work through that tribute set, drawing from the jazz giants and the songwriters that have informed Mahanthappa's playing. Over the years he's picked up a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award in 2013, and a 2015 United States Artists Fellowship, and he's been named alto saxophonist of the year by Downbeat and the Jazz Journalists' Association.
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The show runs from 7 PM to 9:30 PM at Berlin, 204 N 1st St, and tickets are $30.
