RawMaterials
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They effortlessly traverse traditions, their materials repeatedly coiling with the tensions of Indian scales and unraveling with forward rhythmic motion. In this regard, Mahanthappa"s frequent employment of a shenai-like timbre is crucial, as it alternately gives their piquant melodies earthy and modernistic edges. Iyer"s penchant for nuance in attack and harmony also contributes to the precision shading of the music; yet more importantly, Iyer"s daring flourishes seep out of the background to propel the music into new directions... Iyer and Mahanthappa create compelling music. - Bill Shoemaker,
JazzTimes
Pianist VIJAY IYER and alto saxophonist RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA represent a new generation of American jazz musicians who explore the cultures of their ancestry through their music. The sons of immigrants from India, they draw from Asian, African, and European traditions to create original music that is beyond category. They have gained recognition from audiences, musicians, and critics alike as world-class improvisors and composers, outspoken young Asian American voices, and important forces in the music world. Since 1996, Iyer and Mahanthappa have worked together constantly, performing their cutting-edge original music to widespread acclaim around the world.
VIJAY IYER was recently named one of "today"s most important pianists" by The New Yorker. He has released eight critically acclaimed albums of original music, including most recently
Reimagining on Savoy Jazz,
In What Language with poet/performer Mike Ladd, and
Simulated Progress as the collaborative trio Fieldwork. He has traveled worldwide as a leader, appearing at international festivals with the Vijay Iyer Quartet, Fieldwork, "In What Language?" with Mike Ladd, and Raw Materials. He has also performed and recorded with AACM pioneer Roscoe Mitchell"s Note Factory, poet Amiri Baraka"s Blue Ark, and Black Rock Coalition co-founder Greg Tate"s Burnt Sugar, and M-Base composer-saxophonist Steve Coleman. In addition he has joined forces with a wide assortment of cutting-edge creative artists, such as Butch Morris, Cecil Taylor, Graham Haynes, George Lewis, John Tchicai, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Miya Masaoka, Gerry Hemingway, drum & bass diva Imani Uzuri, and poet/hip hop artist Mike Ladd, with whom he has received funding from Creative Capital. He is recipient of the 2003
Alpert Award in the Arts, was voted 2004 Up & Coming Musician of the Year in the Jazz Awards, and has placed near the top of the Downbeat International Critics" Poll as a rising star pianist, rising star composer, and rising star jazz artist for three years in a row.
RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA has drawn attention as one of the most innovative young musicians on the New York jazz scene, fusing his various cultural influences to create a truly unique saxophone style. His three albums as a leader, Yatra (1996), Black Water (2002), and Mother Tongue (2004), have received unanimous rave reviews. He has performed alongside such jazz luminaries as David Murray, Steve Coleman, Jack DeJohnette, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Von Freeman, George Garzone, Tim Hagans, David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Clark Terry. He has performed at international jazz festivals in Mumbai, Chicago, Paris, Jamaica, Toledo, Flint, and the Sangres. Rudresh has a Bachelors in jazz performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston and a Masters in jazz composition from Chicago"s DePaul University. He has received grants from American Composers Forum and New York State Council on the Arts.
RAW MATERIALS, their duo project, engages the listener with intelligent melodies and harmonies combined with wonderfully layered rhythms, epitomizing new jazz at its best. Their ongoing musical collaboration showcases their strong creative alliance, their common perspectives and contrasting dispositions. The duo recently had a performance recorded and broadcast on Swiss Radio, premiered an evening-length work commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, and performed at international festivals in Strasbourg, San Francisco, Seattle, Perth, Melbourne, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Chicago, Nijmegen, Ljubljana, The Hague, and many other corners of the globe. Their self-titled debut album was released to widespread acclaim on
Savoy Jazz in the spring of 2006, after a full decade of constant collaboration.
Praise for RAW MATERIALS:
a highlight of the [Earshot Jazz] festival... dynamic, logical and beautiful...
-- Paul De Barros,
The Seattle Times
They effortlessly traverse traditions, their materials repeatedly coiling with the tensions of Indian scales and unraveling with forward rhythmic motion... Iyer and Mahanthappa create compelling music.
-- Bill Shoemaker,
JazzTimes
Call it fire-music for brain trusts... two South Asian wizards brandishing swing, swordplay, and syllogisms.
-- Greg Tate,
Village Voice
Two gifted musicians who speak each other"s language... Iyer"s spiky chords, precise phrasing, and surprising linear improvisations are consistently compelling, and Mahanthappa reads his mind... Their work together over the past couple of years has displayed a rare cohesiveness. Each man is so assuredly rhythmic and so in tune with the other that you won"t miss a rhythm section - Iyer"s percussive piano is rhythm section enough.
-- Gary Giddins
superb... a thrilling performance
-- Perfect Sound Forever
Tremendous work, a clever, torrid, enchanting performance: we will remember the French premiere of Rudresh Mahanthappa and Vijay Iyer for a long time!
-- Dernieres Nouvelles d"Alsace
vital... new jazz provocateurs with fresh ideas
- The New Yorker