Jazz must change, says Rez Abbasi, and he’s set his sights on one possible path forward. “In order for this music to keep living and evolving, it has to break the boundaries,” the New York City–based guitarist contends. “You can’t call my music ‘jazz’ anymore; you can’t call jazz jazz anymore. I just prefer to call it multicultural music.”
He’s got a point. As the lineup for this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival indicates, what began as a specifically American art form has put down roots all over the globe. “The …