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

259

Vijay Iyer: Tragicomic

By

Sign in to view read count
Vijay Iyer: Tragicomic
Expressing everything that is possible at one point in time is how art comes about. For visual artists, the limitations of the chosen medium frame and freeze the passion of the art. For musicians, the parameters comply with a different set of conditions. Music is concerned with time and the kinds of changes that occur within it. How those changes affect the listener complete a never-ending cyclical relationship.

Nowhere is this relationship clearer than on pianist Vijay Iyer's self-produced Tragicomic. Playing all of Iyer's compositions, the quartet handles the material as it was created for them—with clarity, lushness and intelligence.

The opening resembles peering into the landscape between the landing place of Dorothy's house in Oz and the Emerald City, because as soon as the overture has passed, a daring journey begins. The fluid scalar runs of the piano transform into hammered chords and the alto stops sounding wistful and imprints its edgy thematic signature on the music. Iyer proceeds with an active differentiated improvisation; Altoist Rudresh Mahanthappa inherits that solo space, infusing it with multiple high energy arpeggios. Drummer Marcus Gilmore floods the rhythmic background from the outset with a progressively larger sound that peaks in crashing cymbal sibilance. Stephan Crump begins with a slow arco and then expands his bass territory to form a close alliance with the piano's bass chords. The piano and alto synchronize briefly and then shut down to move quickly into "Aftermath."

Emphatic trills, seemingly endless ostinatos, beautifully articulated key shifts and uplifting melody continue to etch out an incontrovertibly rich pianistic surface which leads the quartet down avenues that sometimes simply fade away ("Comin' Up," "Without Lions," "Threnody"). Yet, the contrasts between fiery travels and smoother, less agitated, sometimes electronically charged motion imbues the recording with dramatic dynamic.

The interaction between the alto and the piano is swollen with brotherly allegiance. The entrance of the alto often serves as a voice that evokes striving and persistence with torrents of sorrow entangled in its tone ("Aftermath" and "Threnody").

The bass and drums can paradoxically mollify and sweeten the drive of the piano. But, Gilmore cracks the whip of the snare on "Age of Everything" and "Machine Days," and maintains a solid rhythmic grind behind the initial piano dissonance of "Window Text," where Crump's pizzicato speaks broadly, openly and easily takes the lead. Overall, Crump's gestures align supportively with the piano.

Iyer's expertise in composition shines on Tragicomic. His capacity to apply himself in various musical contexts is without parallel and this particular recording typifies the tight programmatic design that threads throughout his work with Mike Ladd. However, Iyer has gone a step further, beyond the potentially rigidifying edge of his academic and compositional experience; he has exposed his vulnerability... his human side. For it is compassion that joins each note of "Becoming," and the notion that its composer can weep is probably not far from the truth.

Track Listing

The Weight of Things; Macaca Please; Aftermath; Comin' Up; Without Lions; Mehndi; Age of Everything; Window Text; I'm All Smiles; Machine Days; Threnody; Becoming.

Personnel

Vijay Iyer: piano; Rudresh Mahanthappa: alto saxophone (1-3, 5, 6, 10, 11); Stephan Crump: bass (1-8, 10-12); Marcus Gilmore: drums (1-8, 10-12).

Album information

Title: Tragicomic | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create 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.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.