Mark Dresser

Described by the New York Times as “a bassist who is one of the great instrumental forces in recent American jazz outside of the mainstream,” Mark Dresser has been composing and performing solo contra bass and ensemble music professionally since 1972, throughout North America, Europe and the Far East. He has performed and recorded over one hundred CDs with some of the strongest personalities in contemporary music and jazz including Anthony Braxton, Tim Berne, Jane Ira Bloom, Bobby Bradford, Dave Douglas, Fred Frith, Diamanda Galas, Vinny Golia, Oliver Lake, George Lewis, Myra Melford, Misha Mengelberg, Andrew Cyrille, Ray Anderson, James Newton, Evan Parker, Henry Threadgill, and John Zorn. He is currently Professor of Music at University of California San Diego.

A must read article by Amir ElSaffar in All About Jazz about what he and Hafez Modirzadeh are trying to achieve musically on Radif Suite. Check it out!

posted on April 18, 2010 by Yulun

Amir ElSaffar and Hafez Modirzadeh’s Radif Suite was selected by Nate Chinen as part of his New York Times critic’s Playlist column! Chinen writes: “The two leaders pursue the sort of brash polyphony once synonymous with Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman, and now open for sharply rigorous adaptation.”

posted on April 5, 2010 by Yulun

Pi Recordings is proud to announce the new release from Amir ElSaffar and Hafez Modirzadeh: Radif Suite. The release has already been praised as:

“A rewarding collection thick with ideas and inspiration”
LA Times
“A new grammar for composition and improvisation”
Dusted Magazine

The CD is available for purchase from the website.

posted on March 25, 2010 by Intern