Rez Abbasi – Sound Remains (Whirlwind Recordings, 2025)
Guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi continues to refine his acoustic language on Sound Remains, the third release by his long-running Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quintet (RAAQ). Habitual members Bill Ware (vibraphone), Stephan Crump (bass), and Eric McPherson (drums) are joined by master percussionist Hasan Bakrn.
The album underscores Abbasi’s commitment to the steel-string acoustic guitar, an uncommon voice in jazz, used exclusively throughout the recording. Inspired by both personal loss and philosophical reflection, Sound Remains explores themes of impermanence and presence, shaped by Abbasi’s ongoing practice of meditation. “When I reach that space,” he says, “often the only thing that remains is sound.”
Musically, the album combines intricate compositions with energetic group interplay. The title track “Presence” opens with a 12/8 pulse, setting the stage for lyrical exchanges between guitar and vibes.
On “You Are,” Bakr’s nuanced rhythms inspire a fiery guitar solo. The group also reinterprets Keith Jarrett’s “Questar” with quiet intensity, while “Folk’s Song,” a delicate duet between guitar and vibes, serves as a personal elegy to Abbasi’s mother.
Elsewhere, “Spin Dream” toggles between groove and swing, evoking life’s cyclical motion. A spontaneous take on Coltrane’s “Lonnie’s Lament,” performed on fretless guitar, captures the ensemble’s improvisational fluency. Tracks like “Meet the Moment” and “Purity” bookend the album with meditative focus and spiritual uplift.
Abbasi, a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow, mixes South Asian, jazz, and classical influences into a singular voice. Born in Karachi and raised in Southern California, he studied at USC and Manhattan School of Music, with further training in India under Ustad Alla Rakha. Over the course of 17 albums, including Django-shift, Unfiltered Universe, and Charm (with sitarist Josh Feinberg), his work has been featured by NPR, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.