Vijay Iyer Trio are Stephan Crump (bass), Marcus Gilmore (drums) and Vijay Iyer (piano) and I can’t believe the Historicity came out last September as I’ve had it in my box ever since and more than happy to listen to it and play out their versions of ‘Mystic Brew’ and ‘Galang’ in particular.

As a relatively new addition to the ACT roster, Vijay Iyer has carved himself a very successful niche as one of the most inventive and innovative American pianists working on the contemporary scene. Historicity presented him as a thoughtful and intriguing composer as well as a dazzling instrumentalist as in addition to the Rodney Foster and M.I.A. covers, his “versioning” of tracks also included Stevie Wonder, Andrew Hill, Leonard Bernstein.

This visit to The Vortex in July sees Vijay in the company of his long-serving musical partners; bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore, both well respected players and bandleaders in their own right (Gilmore also happens to be the grandson of the great Roy Haynes). Intuitively able to feed off each others’ ideas both live and on record, the trio weave a complex but highly musical framework for their compositions that is both challenging and immensely satisfying.

Vijay Iyer has also recorded a brand new album for ACT Music Solo (to be released on 23rd August 2010) and comes hot off the back of him receiving the 2010 American Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Award for Musician of The Year, placing him in the same league as previous recipients have such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Ornette Coleman.

And as M.I.A. has her new ablum out on 12th July, perhaps there’s another ‘versioning’ on the cards like ‘Galang’ - check out the video and be impressed.

Links:
www.vijay-iyer.com
www.vortexjazz.co.uk
7th & 8th July 2010, Tickets £15, 11 Gillett Square, London N18 8AZ tel: 020 7254 4097
“Challenging and always rewarding music” - Jazz Journal International
“An intense, breathe-as-one trio, which, even in the most dramatic, rhythmically complex interaction, can groove with visceral power” - Irish Times on Historicity
M.I.A. featuring Nicki Minaj ‘Teqkilla’ - “usually we can find some element in her kooky, international music-informed art-pop patchworks to lovingly grasp onto while sober” http://mixtapemaestro.net/2010/07