Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Vijay Iyer Trio: Washington, DC, April 30, 2011
Vijay Iyer Trio: Washington, DC, April 30, 2011
BySixth & I Historic Synagogue
Washington, DC
April 30, 2011
Sponsored by the Washington Performing Arts Society, pianist Vijay Iyer's concert placed his innovative trio in the sumptuous setting of Washington, DC's Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. The domed ceilings and intricate décor provided an appropriate backdrop to Iyer's powerfully evocative, enormously creative musical explorations, the serenity and seriousness of the space reflecting the complexity and spiritual clarity of Iyer's music as the repurposing of the building mirrored Iyer's ability to be modern, while maintaining continuity with multiple musical lineages.
Much has been written about the kaleidoscopically challenging and innovative compositional achievements, as well as the technical virtuosity, that can be found on Iyer's recordings. But audience members unfamiliar with Iyer and his trio's live performances may not have been prepared for the sheer excitement that Iyer, bassist

Stephan Crump
bass, acousticb.1972
No recording can capture the abundance of force behind this trio's playing, or the textural density developed by the bandin large part due to Crump's astounding inventiveness, particularly when bowing. In fact, Crump may very well have stolen the show, whether delivering extended solos, the notes blossoming like flowers in a hanging garden, or introducing layers of sonic texture via bowed glissandi. Add to that Gilmore's rhythmic dexterity and subtle manipulation of his set's tonal dimensions, and the Iyer Trio's live material took on a power almost three-dimensional in nature. Each tune unfolded into an articulated structure, its architecture defined by Iyer's complex lines, the space delineated by Gilmore and Crump's throbbing rhythms; the whole adorned by the dramatic, multicolored tapestries of the bands dynamic interplay and soaring solos.
Packed into the historic synagogue's pews, audience members were treated to an impressive musical array covering new originals, pieces drawn from the groundbreaking Historicity (ACT, 2009), reworked jazz standards, and thoroughly deconstructed pop tunes. The trio opened the set with a gorgeous rendition of a tune by

Flying Lotus
multi-instrumentalistOne thrilling tune after another followed, as Iyer, Crump, and Gilmore adeptly broke down and reconstituted each piece's component parts in what seemed the creative equivalent of a perpetual motion machine. Tunes like

Bud Powell
piano1924 - 1966

Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974

Stevie Wonder
vocalsb.1950

Michael Jackson
vocals1958 - 2009
As a pianist, Iyer has developed a style so thoroughly his own it is difficult to pinpoint antecedent or influence, a rare accomplishment even in a genre often defined by just this aspiration. As a composer, he has pushed the edges of modern jazz's contours. And as a bandleader, Iyer has made the most intelligent choice of all: he has surrounded himself with artists of equal ingenuity, grace, and distinction. The most marked feature of the evening's performance was the stature of each performer in his own right and the fluidity with which the trio as a unit worked together to create its distinctive sound.
Tags
Vijay Iyer
Live Reviews
Franz A. Matzner
Fully Altered Media
United States
District Of Columbia
Washington
Stephan Crump
Marcus Gilmore
Flying Lotus
Bud Powell
duke ellington
Stevie Wonder
Michael Jackson
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