Vijay Iyer (piano), Stephen Crump (bass), Marcus Gilmore (drums)

With his album Historicity Vijay Iyer appeared on many ‘albums of the year’ lists. The 38-year-old pianist Vijay Iyer is considered to be one of the most adventurous and original artists of his generation. With its tight trio his complex music sounds remarkably clear and catchy.

He is the son of South-Indian immigrants to the USA. As a 3 year old he began playing the violin and he stayed with the instrument for 15 years. But as a child he also learned to play the piano, though he is today mostly self-taught at the keyboard. The sound of Indian classical and religious music was everywhere around him. He studied physics and became a master in technology and arts at Berkeley, but showed a great interest in jazz. He became the house pianist for jam sessions at the famous Bird Kage, a club in North Oakland. He became more and more familiar with the jazz language. In jazz, he found a form to express himself. He remains a scientist, exploring interplay between the brain, emotions and music, and interactions between the creator and the listener.

As a pianist he builds upon the legacy of Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Randy Weston. For him the piano is a rhythmic instrument, which also lends itself to the complex Indian rhythms with which he is familiar and which he links to themes formed by expressive and sharp rhythms.
The Vijay Iyer trio displays a striking unity. The three musicians are on the same wavelength. Bassist Stephan Crump can give the music a big thrust with strong springy lines, almost drones. Drummer Marcus Gilmore, grandson of master drummer Roy Haynes, combines two ideas at once, playing dry hip hop rhythms with the freedom of jazz. Yet there is  movement in this music, and beats and rhythms radiate.

Iyer proves that the traditional trio formula is not dead. His work evokes a dark, mystical atmosphere. Unexpected twists and stormy passages often makes for complex music but this remains clear and accessible. Still, there always lies some unrest in the fragmented lines which may put the listener on the wrong track.

Historicity is the first album with this new, classic trio. Here Vijay he plays some original compositions but also music by M.I.A., Ronnie Foster, Stevie Wonder, Leonard Bernstein and Andrew Hill. His discography contains recordings such as Tragicomic (2008), Reimagining (2005) and Blood Sutra (2003) with his own eminent quartet, Raw Materials (2006) in a duo with saxophone player Rudresh Mahanthappa, Still Life with Commentator (2007) and In What Language? (2003) with poet Mike Ladd. Vijay Iyer teaches at the New York University, The New School and The School for Improvisational Music.