Fareed Haque

Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque enjoys a career that spans the spectrum of musical styles. Moving easily between jazz and classical guitar, Fareed's versatility has created a demand for him with prominent jazz and classical artists including Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Holland, Sting, Joe Henderson, Joe Zawinul, Javon Jackson, Cassandra Wilson, Kurt Elling, Lester Bowie, Arturo Sandoval, Robert Walter, Karl Denson, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Kahil el Zabar, Defunckt, Ramsey Lewis, Nigel Kennedy, Edgar Meyer, Robert Conant, , Stephen Stubbs, Frank Bungarten, members of the Vermeer Quartet and many symphony orchestras in the U.S. and abroad. He has performed all of the major guitar concertos, is an active transcriber of baroque as well as South American music and has had numerous modern works dedicated to him.

Fareed has also released seven recordings as a leader: Voices Rising and Manresa on Sting's Pangaea label, and Sacred Addiction, Opaque, and Deja Vu, on the prestigious Bluenote label, as well as Singh Song, available on Haven Records. His most recent, the critically acclaimed Cosmic Hug is available on Magnatude Records.

Haque has been featured on WTTW's ArtBeat, Ben Sidran's New Visions, Michelob Presents Sunday Night with David Sanborn on NBC, his own Lonesome Pines special for PBS, and on BET cable jazz channel. Fareed has twice been selected Talent Deserving Wider Recognition in Downbeat magazine. In 1989, Fareed joined the faculty of Northern Illinois University, where he currently holds an associate professorship in jazz and classical guitar studies.

Born in 1963 to Pakistani father and Chilean mother, extensive travels, especially long stays in Spain, France, Iran, Pakistan and Chile, exposed Haque to different musics from a very early age. This natural eclecticism has become the hallmark of Fareed's music. The 1981 Recipient of North Texas State University's Jazz Guitar Scholarship, Haque spent a year studying with renowned jazz guitarist and pedagogue Jack Peterson. Fareed's growing interest in the classical guitar led him to transfer to Northwestern University, where he completed his studies in classical guitar under David Buch, John Holmquist and Anne Waller.

In 2001 Fareed co-founded the jam super-group Garaj Mahal, joined George Brooks' group Summit, featuring Zakir Hussein and Steve Smith and continues to record and tour with the Fareed Haque Group. More recently Fareed has become a staple of the 'Jamband' scene and was voted 'Most Valuable Player' at the 2002 High Sierra Music Festival.

In 2004 Fareed composed and performed his Lahara Double Concerto for Sitar/Guitar and Tabla. The work was premiered by The Chicago Sinfonietta, under the baton of maestro Paul Freeman, at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, featuring tabla virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain, to whom the work is dedicated. In 2006 Fareed was commissioned to compose a classical guitar concerto for the Fulcrum Point Ensemble. His Gamelan Concerto was premiered in May of '06 at The Harris Theatre in Millenium Park.

In 2007 Haque continues to tour, record and compose, extensively. He has recorded a new CD with legendary jazz organist Mel Rhyne, has appeared at numerous guitar festivals with duo partners Goran Ivanovic and Frank Bungarten, and will premiere his newest classical guitar composition, Pyramids, for The Chicago Latin American Composers series at Preston Bradley Hall in Chicago. Haque was nominated for a Chicago Music Award in late 2007. He also continues to co-lead Garaj Mahal; the jam/jazz/world music group won an Independent Music Award in 07. Both Haque and Garaj Mahal are signed to Owl Studios.