Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Vijay Iyer: Compassion

Vijay Iyer: Compassion

By Mike Jurkovic
February 9, 2024
View read count

As the title track of Compassion gets conjured up on a rubato tumble of

Tyshawn Sorey

drums
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Tyshawn Sorey's cymbals, bassist

Linda May Han Oh

bass, acoustic
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Linda May Han Oh begins her work which—on all of Compassion—is herculean.

" data-original-title="" title="">Vijay Iyer ushers in, and a quiet thing of beauty gets underway. It is one of the album's monster tracks. And eleven more tracks follow.

Much like the trio's 2021 ECM effort Uneasy, Compassion makes for a most intense and most satisfying listen. "Arch" is a vivid display of virtuosity and spirit as the three architects go about building bridges from here to now, like its namesake, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A power- packed revamping of

Stevie Wonder

vocals
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Stevie Wonder's lazy hit "Overjoyed" cuts next. Shaken loose from its mid-eighties, middle-of-the-road moorings, Iyer, Oh and Sorey tear it up in a frenetic tug of war. Tensile and fierce, Iyer—vamping on a piano once literally and proudly owned by

Chick Corea

piano
1941 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Corea—is most Corea-like, his leaps of faith and invention barely tempering his colleagues rhythmic thunder. The trio then doubles down and raises ten on "Maelstrom." A whirlwind follows.

Oh does a lot of heavy lifting on Compassion. A testament of emotion on "Prelude: Orision" leads to the fiery pursuit of "Tempest." A true statement to the synergy the three never take for granted, "Tempest" builds on a skittish, jumpy pulse over which Iyer's poppier-than-a-top-of-the-pops teen dance hit, fall. Across the track's exuberant expanse, Oh leans in, solidifying the connection between Iyer's overarching exclamations and Sorey's joyous dance.

Third in a trio of Iyer compositions written to memorialize those lost to the recent pandemic, "Panegyric" elaborates on the wide-screen imaginings of its predecessors, "Maelstrom" and "Tempest." Fully lucid, the trio interlock, (like humans should in times both good and bad) and carry the muse into the

Roscoe Mitchell

saxophone
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Roscoe Mitchell broken free jazz madness that is "Nonaah." With Sorey particularly engaged, "Where Am I, " rendered with magnificent poise and lithe determination, flows moodily exotic yet true to the core. The surging "Ghostrumental" finds the pianist again entertaining his inerrant Top 40 vibe as Oh and Sorey propulsively groove along. "It Goes" (Iyer bluesy, solo, romantic) and "Free Spirit /Drummer's Song" (the former title courtesy of

Geri Allen

piano
1957 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Geri Allen) complete a coup d'��tat?with lasting repercussions.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Compassion; Arch; Overjoyed; Maelstrom; Prelude: Orison; Tempest; Panegyric; Nonaah; Where I Am; Ghostrumental; It Goes; Free Spirits / Drummer��s Song.

Personnel

Vijay Iyer

piano

Linda May Han Oh

bass, acoustic

Tyshawn Sorey

drums

Album information

Title: Compassion | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: ECM Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

New releases from 2024 bassist Mark ...
< Previous

Di Castri, Cisi and Zirilli 'More fo...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.