HAZAR’s “Reincarnation” as a Guitarist

courtesy of Jazz Promo Services

Ulas Hazar (who is referred to consistently on his Web site as HAZAR, caps included) began his career as a virtuoso jazz player on the three-stringed Persian saz, having received a master’s degree at the Maastricht Academy of Music. His debut album was entitled Virtuoso, earning him a reputation as “The Paganini of Saz.” (The album included a transcription of one of the Opus 1 solo violin caprices by Niccolò Paganini, along with arrangements of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Chick Corea.)

After hearing him perform in Cologne, John McLaughlin suggested that he should shift over to guitar. The result was a new album, Reincarnated, which was released this past August. Sadly, I have not been able to listen to Virtuoso for comparison; but HAZAR’s virtuosity on the guitar is definitely eyebrow-raising. The new album is impressively eclectic, with international styles that range from the Brazilian jazz of Luiz Bonfá to the Gypsy stylizations of Dorado Schmitt. Similarly, his genres include the ballad style found in the music that Bonfá composed for the film Black Orpheus to the wild bebop elaborations in Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee.” Equally appealing is his approach to instrumentation, particularly when the bass accompaniment is augmented by Piotr Torunski on bass clarinet.

There is also a guest appearance by guitarist Al Di Meola. However, on the track for Corea’s “Spain,” Di Meola shifts over to cajon. Most listeners know by now that “Spain” is Corea’s reflection on a guitar concerto by Joaquín Rodrigo; so it is more that a little interesting that HAZAR bypasses any references to Rodrigo’s themes, dwelling instead on the counter-themes that Corea added to the mix. This is consistent with the overall inventiveness encountered on each of the nine tracks on HAZAR’s Reincarnated album.