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Questar by Rez Abbasi

From the album

Album Title: Sound Remains
Label: Whirlwind Recordings
Released: 2025

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About the Album

Guitarist Rez Abbasi is returning to the warmth and immediacy of the acoustic guitar with his Acoustic Quintet, featuring vibraphonist Bill Ware, bassist Stephan Crump, drummer Eric McPherson and, for the first time, percussionist Hasan Bakr. The addition of percussion adds new layers of texture and interplay on the group’s third album. Each original tune presents a series of intricate compositional ideas, powerfully realized by the natural empathy of the group and the emotional commitment of the performances, centered around Abbasi’s steel string guitar playing. Abbasi was inspired by how Guillermo Franco, one of Bakr’s teachers, had given an edge to the music of the Keith Jarrett group. The Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quintet presents their own sparkling and evocative interpretation of “Questar,” which appeared on a 1978 ECM release by Jarrett with the ensemble dubbed his “European Quartet.”

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Date featured

September 4, 2025

This song appears by permission of the contributing artist and/or record company. It is for personal use only; no other rights are granted or implied.