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Vijay Iyer: Historicity
Iyer tackles soul legend Stevie Wonder's "Big Brother" with equal confidence. Drumming prodigy Marcus Gilmore's heavily percussive beats lay the foundation for the leader's lower register mayhem, occasionally supplemented with a select upper register melody, highlighting the funk of the original while leaving space for improvisation. This feeling is carried over in Julius Hemphill's masterpiece "Dogon A.D.," structured around Stephan Crump's simple and powerful bass line. Two-thirds of the way through the piece Crump goes into a wonderfully expressive bowed solo to add a twinge of melancholy to the already full spectrum of sound.
Iyer's trio handles these modern classics with aplomb but are a little less successful tackling the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim classic, "Somewhere" from West Side Story. They dig into it with the same energy that makes the rest of the record such a joy to listen to, but in the process miss some of the subtleties and complexities of the work. It'd be nice to have a bit of a breather to break up the intensity, but there's no denying the talent and precision that Iyer, Crump and Gilmore bring to this session.
Track Listing
Historicity; Somewhere; Galang (Trio Riot Version); Helix; Smoke Stack; Big Brother; Dogon A.D.; Mystic Brew (Trixation Version); Trident 2010; Segment For Sentiment #2.
Personnel
Vijay Iyer
pianoVijay Iyer: piano; Stephan Crump: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums.
Album information
Title: Historicity | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: ACT Music
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