Rudresh Mahanthappa Hero Trio

Alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa brings his Hero Trio to SFJAZZ for an evening dedicated to reinterpreting the music that shaped him. Rather than showcasing his own compositions, this project finds the acclaimed saxophonist paying tribute to his musical heroes through startlingly original arrangements of everything from Charlie Parker's "Red Cross" to Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" and Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire."

Mahanthappa, hailed by Pitchfork as "jaw-dropping... one of the finest saxophonists going," brings his master's touch on the alto saxophone informed by Carnatic musical traditions from his South Indian heritage. The nine-time DownBeat Critics Poll "Alto Saxophonist of the Year" winner, Guggenheim Fellow, and current Director of Jazz at Princeton University has assembled longtime collaborators François Moutin on bass and Rudy Royston on drums for this pared-down exploration.

The Hero Trio format strips away piano and harmonic instruments, creating space for Mahanthappa to fully sketch out melody and harmony while his rhythm section takes these familiar songs into fresh territory. Reviews describe the trio's "sparkling cocktails of hooks, groove and solos" that unfold in structures both "straight and not so straight." Expect adventurous jazz that's as much fun to listen to as it is intellectually stimulating.

The repertoire spans bebop classics like Parker's "Barbados" and "Dewey Square," jazz standards including "I Can't Get Started" and "I'll Remember April," plus unexpected choices like Keith Jarrett's "The Windup" and Ornette Coleman's "Sadness." Each arrangement bears Mahanthappa's distinctive stamp while honoring the source material - from funky interludes that precede Parker's 12-bar blues to irregular rhythms that exploit the phrasing of country classics.

This is music that reaches across generations and genres while maintaining the intensity and exploratory spirit that has made Mahanthappa one of contemporary jazz's most vital voices. The trio's chemistry and communication create what one reviewer called "the edgy paradox of contemporary jazz — playful, yet driven by an underlying sense that life-depends-on-it."