NEW YORK, January 19, 2016 — In this clip, Pakistani-born guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi demonstrates his signature blend of South Asian and jazz music and discusses how he developed his unique style. Abbasi, a product of the Manhattan School of Music, is considered one of the foremost guitarists in modern jazz — recently, Downbeat's International Critics Poll named him one of its top ten "best guitarists." Raised in the Los Angeles area, Abbasi made a pilgrimage to India early in his career to study with tabla master Ustad Alla Rakha, father of Zakir Hussain. (2 min., 43 sec.)

Catch Rez Abbasi in concert at Asia Society New York on Thursday, December 15 and Friday, December 16.