Vijay Iyer Solo ★★★★

Rec. date not stated

Iyer’s discography, at least an album a year since 2001, chronicles the growing confidence of an artist who has f d hi lf i forced himself into the reckoning as perhaps the most important player to emerge on the US scene in a decade. Iyer has performed a lot in the solo context over the last few years, including a couple of tours, so comes mentally prepared to these sessions, recorded in May this year, for what is perhaps the greatest challenge for a pianist in jazz.

Iyer seeks a clarity of expression, meaning and melodic expressionism and these elements readily communicate with the listener; he is more vox humana than technician and this is readily apparent on the Michael Jackson (and Miles Davis) hit ‘Human Nature’ as it is on the novel complexities of his own originals such as ‘Patterns’ and ‘One for Blount’.

For Western ears at least, Iyer does not readily display characteristics of his Indian culture in the music – indeed, he honours Ellington (‘Black And Tan Fantasy’, ‘Fleurette Africaine’), Monk (‘Epistrophy’) and Sun Ra with his won ‘One For Blount’ – but says this aspect of his psyche is displayed in both the structure and rhythm (often crossrhythmic episodes) of his music. These elements emerge most powerfully in ‘One for Blount’ which may be the album’s most successful piece, mixing both complexity with clarity, the latter characteristic most apparent in the coda.

– Stuart Nicholson