Reza Askari & ROAR Quintet
Biography Reza Askari & ROAR Quintet
Reza Askari
was born in Fulda in 1986 to an Iranian father and a German mother; he began his musical training on the piano at the age of five. At eleven, he discovered the electric bass and launched his musical career early on in local punk and jazz bands.
After graduating from high school, Askari began his music studies in 2006, majoring in electric bass at the University of Music and Dance Cologne under Marius Goldhammer, and later studying double bass with Dieter Manderscheid and Sebastian Gramss. He completed his studies in Cologne with distinction in 2012. Subsequently, Askari pursued a Master’s degree in Improvising Arts at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen under Robert Landfermann, graduating in 2014—once again—with *summa cum laude* honors.
From 2007 to 2010, he was a member of the Hessian State Youth Jazz Orchestra; from 2010 to 2011, he played with the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra and the European Masterclass Big Band under the direction of John Ruocco.
Askari has collaborated—in both festival and club settings—with artists such as Marc Ducret, Lee Konitz, Marc Ribot, Benny Golson, Hayden Chisholm, Jeff Hamilton, Barre Phillips, Mark Dresser, Peter Herbolzheimer, Mike Herting, Philip Catherine, Ramesh Shotham, Frank Haunschild, Thomas Rückert, Frank Gratkowski, Heiner Wiberny, Gerd Dudek, John Hollenbeck, Jiggs Whigham, Gary Versace, Max Herre, Clueso, Sophie Hunger, Max Mutzke, Götz Alsmann, Wolf Biermann, and Carolin Kebekus. Performing with various ensembles, he has toured countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the USA, Canada, Colombia, Panama, and many nations across Europe.
With his ensemble "ROAR"—comprising Stefan Karl Schmid, Fabian Arends, and Askari—he released two albums as a trio in 2017 and 2020, followed by two albums as a quartet featuring vibraphonist Christopher Dell in 2022 and 2024, serving as the bandleader.
Since October 2023, Reza Askari has been Professor of Jazz Bass at the University of Music Würzburg.
