Rudresh Mahanthappa is an American alto saxophonist of Indian descent, born in Italy and raised in Colorado, who began his professional career in the 1990s after studying at Berklee College of Music and later establishing himself in New York's jazz scene. His music blends contemporary and avant-garde jazz with influences from South Asian classical music, characterised by complex rhythmic interplay, angular melodic lines and a focus on cross-cultural composition and improvisation.