(Bio by Rocco Stilo)
New York-based Vijay Srinivas
Raghunathan, aka Vijay Iyer, is one of the most interesting jazz pianists of
the latest 15 years. Also violinist and composer, he doesn't despise classical
and even rock music, particularly with his trios. He debuted in 1995 with Memorophilia,
an Asian Improv live-studio recording on which he collected 9 pieces, in a
10-players lineup with altoist Steve Coleman, celloist Kash Killion and
trombonist George Lewis, among others. Architextures, his 1998 follow-up
(recorded in august 1996), was a 6-tracks album by an octet: Rudresh
Mahanthappa (alto sax), Aaron Stewart (tenor sax), Eric Crystal (tenor and
soprano sax), Liberty Ellman (guitar), bassists Jeff Brock and Charles'
grandson Kevin Ellington Mingus, and Brad Hargreaves (drums). Panoptic Modes,
recorded in june 2000 and re-released in 2010 by PI, was a quartet with the
pianist accompanied by altoist Rudresh Mahanthappa, bassist Stephan Crump and
drummer Derrek Phillips. The group replicated recording in february 2003 Blood
Sutra, released by Artists House. Your Life Flashes (recorded in
march 2002) was the debut of trio project Fieldwork, featuring the pianist with
saxophonist Aaron Stewart and drummer Elliot Kavee.
Fieldwork recorded then in
september 2004 Simulated Progress, with Steve Lehman on sopranino
instead of Aaron Stewart, and the 2008' Door, recorded in three years,
with Tyshawn Sorey instead of Kavee. After his collaboration to the Rudresh
Mahanthappa's Mother Tongue, recorded in june 2004, in november 2004
Vijay Iyer recorded as leader Reimagining, a trio collaboration with
bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore. In What Language?
(recorded in may and june 2003) was a duo collaboration with poet/hip-hop
vocalist and keyboardist Mike Ladd, with Stephan Crump (bass), Dana Leong
(cello, trombone, flugelbone), guitarist Liberty Ellman and altoist Rudresh
Mahanthappa among others. The duo replicated with Savoy Jazz 2007' Still
Life With Commentator, an oratorio from original theatrical version
conceived and directed by Ibrahim Quraishi. Raw Materials (recorded in
october 2005) was instead a duo collaboration with altoist Rudresh Mahanthappa.
Tragicomic, recorded between september and october 2007, was another
quartet with the same Reimagining's lineup. With Historicity, recorded
between november 2008 and march 2009, the pianist debuted for ACT as a trio,
again with drummer Marcus Gilmore and bassist Stephan Crump. Solo,
recorded in may 2010, featured 12 solo piano pieces (with Ellington and Monk's
covers). Tirtha, again for ACT, is the latest release: a trio project
with virtuoso performer of South Indian classical music Prasanna (guitar,
voice) and North-American Nitin Mitta (tabla), that premiered these Iyar's
compositions in november 2007, recording them in august 2008.
Iyer, with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore recorded Accelerando (august 2011), containing five originals.
Vijay Iyer collaborated with poet and electronic musician Mike Ladd for the ambitious Holding It Down - The Veterans Dreams Project (june 2012), that also features Decaul (poetry), Lynn Hill (poetry), Guillermo Brown (vocals, auxiliary electronics), Liberty Ellman (guitar), Okkyung Lee (cello), Kassa Overall (percussion) and Latasha Nevada Diggs (vocals, live electronic processing).
Mutations (september 2013) was a collaboration with the string quartet of Miranda Cuckson and Michi Wiancko on violin, Kyle Armbrust on viola and Kivie Cahn-Lipman on cello mainly devoted to
the namesake suite in ten movements.
Trio 3's sixth album
Wiring (august 2013)
featured Olive Lake (alto sax), Reggie
Workman (bass) and Andrew Cyrille (drums).
Vijay Iyer composed the soundtrack of a Prashant Bhargava film, Radhe Radhe: Rites of Holi.
Vijay Iyer's trio
with Stephan Crump
(double bass) and Marcus Gilmore (drums)
debuted on Break Stuff (june 2014).
A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke (october 2015) documents a collaboration between Vijay Iyer (piano, keyboards and electronics) and Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet).
Emergence for chamber ensemble and jazz trio and his violin concerto Trouble premiered in 2017.
The sextet that debuted on Far From Over (april 2017) consisted of
Steve Lehman (alto sax), Graham Haynes (cornet, flugelhorn, electronics), Stephan Crump (double bass), Tyshawn Sorey (drums) and Mark Shim (tenor sax).
The duo of Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn is documented on the live The Transitory Poems (march 2018).
Iyer also played on violinist Jennifer Koh's double-disc Limitless (Cedille, 2019), which includes his The Diamond for violin and piano.
The trio with Malaysian bassist Linda May Han Ho and drummer Tyshawn Sorey recorded Uneasy (december 2019), containing eight Iyer originals composed over the course of 20 years, and
Compassion (may 2022).
A Love Sonnet For Billie Holiday (november 2016) documents a trio with trumpeter Leo Smith and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Smith composed the 18-minute The A.D. Opera and the 12-minute A Love Sonnet For Billie Holiday while Iyer composed the 9-minute Deep Time and DeJohnette the 14-minute Song For World Forgiveness.
Love In Exile (august 2022) documents a trio with Shahzad Ismaily (bass and Moog synthesizer) and Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab.
Trouble (BMOP, 2024) contains
Iyer's
classical composition
Asunder (2017),
Trouble For Violin And Chamber Orchestra (2017) and
Crisis Modes For Percussion And Strings (2019),
performed by Gil Rose's Boston Modern Orchestra Project.
Defiant Life (july 2024) was the second collaboration between Vijay Iyer (electric and acoustic piano and electronics) and Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet).
Fieldwork
returned with
Thereupon (may 2024).
Henry Threadgill (sax and flute), Vijay Iyer (piano) and Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto recorded Fifteen (november 2025).
