Rez Abbasi: Unfiltered Universe

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Dan Weiss (d)
Rudresh Mahanthappa (as)
Rez Abbasi (el g, ac g, elec sitar)
Johannes Weidenmueller (b)
Elizabeth Mikhael (clo)
Vijay Iyer (p)

Label:

Whirlwind Recordings

November/2017

RecordDate:

2 and 3 February 2016

South Indian Carnatic music energises Unfiltered Universe, part three of the acclaimed jazz guitarist and conceptualist's trilogy on which he and his ensemble, Invocation, investigate then recontextualise several South Asian classical musical forms. As he'd demonstrated superbly on the first two parts – Things to Come (2009) and Suno Suno (2011) – the new disc is no mere pastiche mashup, relying on the integration of Western and South Asian instrumentation. Abbasi concerns himself less about the music sounding overtly South Indian in favour of a more sophisticated synthesis. His cultural crosspollination results in vigorous, gripping modern jazz that maximises the strengths of each ensemble member, particularly when his strapping guitar tone and lissome improvisations run parallel or intertwine with Rudresh Mahanthappa's silvery alto lines and/or Vijay Iyer's restive pianism. Each composition tends to pull listeners into sonic realms uniquely their own, which allows Unfiltered Universe to unfold episodically, creating endless wonder and suspense with each repeated listen.

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