Rudresh Mahanthappa is widely recognized as one of the premier voices in jazz of the 21st century. He has over a dozen albums to his credit, including Hero Trio, Mahanthappa’s first album comprised solely of interpretations, and the Charlie Parker tribute Bird Calls. Rudresh regularly tops DownBeat Magazine’s Alto Saxophonist of the Year poll, and has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award. He currently serves as the Anthony H. P. Lee ’79 Director of Jazz at Princeton University.

Mahanthappa’s music making has constantly pushed at the artistic boundaries to encompass such diverse influences as classic bebop, the flash and fury of electric fusion and the complexities of Carnatic music, while always maintaining a clear sense of his own fiercely intelligent, uncompromising musical personality. He has worked closely with Jack DeJohnette, Steve Lehman and Danilo Pérez, and is one of the founding members of the Indo-Pak Coalition.