May 9, 2009
Vijay has had a busy year so far, mainly with his trio with Marcus Gilmore and Stephan Crump. They toured Europe in February, played numerous US dates in the winter and spring, and recorded a new album titled Historicity. Vijay has just signed to the German label ACT Music, who will release the album on CD and LP in late August.
You can preview three tracks from the new album on Vijay's myspace. You can also hear the trio captured live in Amsterdam for Dutch Radio (requires appropriate media player).
Vijay also recently created some music for the cable sports channel ESPN, in a quintet with Mark Shim, Ambrose Akinmusire, Harish Raghavan, and Marcus Gilmore. Two of the fifteen short cues are posted on myspace.
Raw Materials, Vijay's longstanding duo collaboration with Rudresh Mahanthappa, completed their latest European tour in April.
Check out Vijay's blindfold test for the May issue of Downbeat Magazine, his "Once a Physicist" interview for Physics Today, and other recent press.
More to come soon!
December 4, 2008
Vijay was profiled in the November 2008 issue of the influential French magazine Jazzman, and in the same issue Tragicomic received their highest rating of "Choc!" (5 Stars). Further accolades for Tragicomic have just arrived in Jazzman's December issue, in the form of a "Choc de l'Année", their award for the best albums of 2008.Vijay and Jorga Mesfin shared the award for Best Original Score for Haile Gerima's film Teza at the Carthage International Film Festival, where the film took several top honors. The film had its world premiere in September at the Venice Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Prize and the award for Best Screenplay.
November 10, 2008
THE DOZENS: VIJAY IYER SURVEYS THE MUSIC OF ANDREW HILLIn 1995, Vijay Iyer, then a 24-year-old Berkeley PhD candidate in Physics with an interest in the neurobiology of musical cognition, who was moonlighting as a gigging jazz pianist in the Bay Area, met educator/trombonist/computer installation artist George Lewis. “George set forth the idea of framing improvisation itself as a kind of inquiry, or critique or intellectual discourse, without losing the soul or heart of the music,” Iyer once recalled. Download Article
September 3, 2008
Vijay is on the cover of the September issue of the British magazine Jazzwise, with a glowing feature article written by Kevin LeGendre.
He also just debuted his exciting new quintet featuring Prasanna, Ambrose Akinmusire, Stephan Crump, and Marcus Gilmore in New York and at the Chicago Jazz Festival. Watch for more from this band in 2009!
July 21, 2008
Don't miss the Vijay Iyer Quartet at NYC's Jazz Standard July 31-Aug 3!learn more
June 06, 2008
Vijay is on the cover of the July issue of DownBeat Magazine along with fellow pianist-composers Jason Moran and Matthew Shipp. The cover story is a round-table interview conducted by Ted Panken: "a candid conversation on race, techology, education and the quest to create your own musical universe."
May 30, 2008
The New York collective trio known as FIELDWORK (Vijay Iyer, piano & compositions; Steve Lehman, saxophone & compositions; Tyshawn Sorey, drums and compositions) will perform their original music this Saturday, May 31 at 7:30pm (one set only) at Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette Avenue @ Astor Place, NYC.The concert celebrates the release of their new album, Door, out now on Pi Recordings.
Praise for Door:
- "[T]he future of New York Jazz....Incredible music for the brave of heart and mind." - Yahoo Music
- "[A] phenomenal concept brought fully to fruition by these incredible, challenging, forward thinking musicians." - All Music Guide
- "staggeringly good" - emusic.com
Preview entire album
Watch a video of Fieldwork performing live
Read more about Door
Don't miss this show! Click here for more info and tickets.
May 20, 2008
Innerviews.com The global jazz envoy on infusing instrumentals with social commentaryAcclaimed pianist, composer, and sonic conceptualist Vijay Iyer discusses how his two new releases, Tragicomic and Door, reflect the mercurial world around him. Iyer also provides a revealing glimpse into his creative process and his unquenchable thirst for fresh perspectives. Read Full Article
May 7, 2008
Welcome to my new site.April 20, 2008
Vijay Iyer's new release "Tragicomic" is out now.Click to listen to and purchase new album.
August 1, 2007
Vijay has been named the #1 Rising Star Jazz Artist and #1 Rising Star Composer in the 2007 Downbeat MagazineInternational Critics Poll! This is the second year in a row that he has topped both of those categories. Here are some trio videos with Vijay, Stephan Crump, and Marcus Gilmore, taped live at The Stone, 19 Jan 2007.Vijay has just been added to the jazz faculty at NYU and to the distinguished roster of Steinway artists.
select album for more info.
