Home » Jazz Musicians » Vijay Iyer

Vijay Iyer

Composer-pianist VIJAY IYER (pronounced “VID-jay EYE-yer”) has carved out a unique path as an influential, prolific, shape-shifting presence in modern music. He was described by Pitchfork as "one of the best in the world at what he does," by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star,” by the New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway,” and by Minnesota Public Radio as “an American treasure.” A musical innovator, an active collaborator, and a member of multiple artistic communities, Iyer continues to reimagine the role of the musician in the 21st century. Iyer’s Uneasy, a trio recording made with his friends and collaborators Linda May Han Oh on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums, was released by ECM in April 2021 to wide acclaim, the Boston Globe calling it “extraordinary,” and noting it as “another entry in Iyer’s extensive oeuvre, reaffirming his status as one of the most creative figures in improvised music.”

Iyer has been voted DownBeat Magazine's Artist of the Year four times - in 2018, 2016, 2015 and 2012 - and Artist of the Year in Jazz Times' Critics' and Readers' Polls for 2017. Iyer was named a 2017 United States Artists Fellow, a 2013 MacArthur Fellow, and a 2012 Doris Duke Performing Artist. For 2022, Iyer was voted “Pianist of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists’ Association. He holds a lifetime appointment as the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University, with a joint affiliation with the Department of Music and the Department of African and African American Studies. 

The New York Times observed, “There’s probably no frame wide enough to encompass the creative output of the pianist Vijay Iyer.” Iyer has released twenty-three albums covering remarkably diverse terrain, most recently for the ECM label. 2019 brings the release of The Transitory Poems, a live two-piano improvisation with Iyer’s longtime colleague and label-mate, Craig Taborn. Prior to that, Iyer’s sextet album Far From Over (2017) was ranked #1 in US National Public Radio's annual Jazz Critics' Poll, surveying 157 critics. It was named among the best jazz albums of the year in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Slate, and The New York Times, and the only “jazz release” in Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 best records of 2017. Iyer’s Sextet was voted 2018 Jazz Group of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.

Read more

Tags

17
Album Review

Fieldwork: Thereupon

Read "Thereupon" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Early in his recording career, pianist Vijay Iyer formed his most compelling group, Fieldwork. The initial album release, Your Life Flashes (Pi Recordings, 2002) broke new ground and put down the roots from which everything Iyer has created in 20-plus years has grown and flourished. Iyer's recording career began in 1995 with Memorophilia (Asian Improv). The ensuing 30 years have seen more than a score of albums from the pianist in a leadership role as well as dozens ...

Album Review

Vijay Iyer, Wadada Leo Smith: Defiant Life

Read "Defiant Life" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Un pezzo a testa dei due performers e firmatari del disco e gli altri quattro a paternità condivisa compongono questo puzzle a due voci in cui si respira un'aria quanto mai composta, quasi raggelata (almeno a tratti), volatile, persino un po' dispersiva, quanto meno nelle parti (per nulla rare) in cui Iyer abbandona lo strumento acustico per dedicarsi a sonorità più eteree, liquide, spesso abbastanza minimali. Di rimpetto agisce ovviamente la tromba, sempre impagabile, specie allorché imbavagliata dalla ...

1
In Pictures

Torino Jazz Festival 2025, Part 1

Read "Torino Jazz Festival 2025, Part 1" reviewed by Antonio Baiano


Part 1 | Part 2A collection of photos from the Torino Jazz Festival in Torino, Italy from April 23rd, 2025 to April 30th, 2025 featuring Vijay Iyer, Amaro Freitas, Lakecia Benjamin, Enrico Rava, Furio Di Castri, Gabriele Mirabassi, Fausto Ferraiuolo, Tiziano Tononi, Roberto Ottaviano, Margaux Oswald, Jan Bang, Eivind Aarset, Jason Moran, Nasheet Waits, Tarus Mateen. and others. ...

Live Review

Torino Jazz Festival 2025

Read "Torino Jazz Festival 2025" reviewed by Libero Farnè


Torino Jazz Festival 2025 Torino, varie sedi 23--30 aprile 2025 “71 concerti, 8 produzioni originali, 289 musicisti, 58 sedi," così sul retro del programma cartaceo viene sintetizzata e pubblicizzata la tredicesima edizione del Torino Jazz Festival, diretta da Stefano Zenni. Non solo concerti, ma anche conferenze e film sono stati distribuiti in tutta la città, costringendo a volte a rinunce per il sovrapporsi degli orari e spesso a spostamenti faticosi, soprattutto per gli ospiti affluiti da ...

8
Live Review

Vijay Iyer Trio At Philadelphia Clef Club Of Jazz And Performing Arts

Read "Vijay Iyer Trio At Philadelphia Clef Club Of Jazz And Performing Arts" reviewed by Carl Medsker


Vijay Iyer Trio Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts Philadelphia, PA March 15, 2025 The new instantiation of the Vijay Iyer Trio is another powerhouse. Fresh off two nights at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C., the band took to the stage in the performance space of Philadephia's Clef Club on the Avenue Of The Arts to a near-capacity audience. This historic and cavernous venue was the scene of an immersive, energizing musical experience ...

13
Album Review

Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith: Defiant Life

Read "Defiant Life" reviewed by Doug Collette


As passionate as each man is intelligent, both pianist/composer Vijay Iyer and trumpeter/composer Wadada Leo Smith also manifest healthy egos. Accordingly, collaborations like Defiant Life require each man to contour his skills to complement the other sufficiently. Their shared humility is intrinsic to solidifying the inspiring bond that arises from the two not only playing, but composing together. In the end, the generosity of spirit maximizes the potency of the art these men create on this second of ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith

Read "Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith" reviewed by Hobart Taylor


New music from Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith, Kneebody, Claire Cope and Ensemble C, and remembering Roy Ayers. Playlist Roy Ayers “Hey Lover" from Jazz Is Dead #1 (Jazz Is Dead) 0:00 Roy Ayers Ubiquity “We Live In Brooklyn, Baby" from He's Coming (Verve) 2:24 Chien Chien Lu “ We Live In Brooklyn, Baby" from The Path (ECM) 6:08 Host Speaks 11:46 Claire Cope Ensemble C “Amboseli" from Every Journey (Adhyâropa Records) 12:59 David Lindes “ Te ...

Read more articles
3
Recording

Debut Recording Of Vijay Iyer’s Orchestral Works To Be Released June 11th

Debut Recording  Of Vijay Iyer’s Orchestral Works To Be Released June 11th

Source: AMT Public Relations

Conducted by Gil Rose with performances by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and soloist Jennifer Koh (violin) Approaching its landmark 100th album, the Grammy Award-winning Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) led by conductor Gil Rose releases Vijay Iyer: Trouble on its eponymous label, BMOP/sound. Marking his debut recording as an orchestral composer, polymath Vijay Iyer showcases his high-minded yet emotionally expressive approach to music-making with this collection of bustling textures, surprising forms, and pulsating rhythms. Vijay Iyer: Trouble comprises ...

3
Performance / Tour

Harlem Stage Presents Eternal Spirit: Vijay Iyer & Friends Celebrate the Music of Andrew Hill on March 1-2, 2024

Harlem Stage Presents Eternal Spirit: Vijay Iyer & Friends Celebrate the Music of Andrew Hill on March 1-2, 2024

Source: Michael Ricci

Friday, March 1, 2024 7:30 PM 9:30 PM Additional Performances March 2, 2024—7:30PM Harlem Stage 150 Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031 (212) 281-9240 Seating: Reserved Seating Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker, and multicultural gateway,” composer and pianist Vijay Iyer is one of the leading music-makers of his generation. Iyer returns, following his Harlem Stage commissioned work, Holding It Down, to guest curate and perform in ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Vijay Iyer's birthday today!

Grammy-nominated composer-pianist Vijay Iyer (pronounced “VID-jay EYE-yer”) was described by Pitchfork as “one of the most interesting & vital young pianists in jazz today,” by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star,” and by Minnesota Public Radio as “an American treasure.” He has been voted DownBeat Magazine’s Artist of the Year three times – in 2016, 2015 and 2012. Iyer was named Downbeat’s 2014 Pianist of ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Vijay Iyer's birthday today!

Grammy-nominated composer-pianist Vijay Iyer (pronounced “VID-jay EYE-yer”) was described by Pitchfork as “one of the most interesting & vital young pianists in jazz today,” by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star,” and by Minnesota Public Radio as “an American treasure.” He has been voted DownBeat Magazine’s Artist of the Year three times – in 2016, 2015 and 2012. Iyer was named Downbeat’s 2014 Pianist of ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Vijay Iyer's birthday today!

Grammy-nominated composer-pianist Vijay Iyer (pronounced “VID-jay EYE-yer”) was described by Pitchfork as “one of the most interesting & vital young pianists in jazz today,” by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star,” and by Minnesota Public Radio as “an American treasure.” He has been voted DownBeat Magazine’s Artist of the Year three times – in 2016, 2015 and 2012. Iyer was named Downbeat’s 2014 Pianist of ...

1
Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Vijay Iyer's birthday today!

Grammy-nominated composer-pianist Vijay Iyer (pronounced “VID-jay EYE-yer”) was described by Pitchfork as “one of the most interesting & vital young pianists in jazz today,” by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star,” and by Minnesota Public Radio as “an American treasure.” He has been voted DownBeat Magazine’s Artist of the Year three times – in 2016, 2015 and 2012... Read more.

Place our Musician of the ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Vijay Iyer's birthday today!

Grammy-nominated composer-pianist Vijay Iyer (pronounced “VID-jay EYE-yer”) was described by Pitchfork as “one of the most interesting & vital young pianists in jazz today,” by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star,” and by Minnesota Public Radio as “an American treasure.” He has been voted DownBeat Magazine’s Artist of the Year three times – in 2016, 2015 and 2012... Read more.

Place our Musician of the ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Jazz Musician of the Day: Vijay Iyer

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Vijay Iyer's birthday today!

“a boundless and deeply important young star" —LA Weekly “By now, there can be no doubt that pianist-composer Iyer stands among the most daringly original jazz artists of the under-40 generation," writes Howard Reich in the Chicago Tribune. The American-born son of Indian immigrants, Vijay Iyer (pronounced “VID-jay EYE-yer") is a self-taught creative musician grounded in American jazz and popular forms... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget on ...

4
Recording

Four New Releases From ECM Records: Vijay Iyer Sextet, Tim Berne's Snakeoil, Gary Peacock Trio, and David Virelles

Four New Releases From ECM Records: Vijay Iyer Sextet, Tim Berne's Snakeoil, Gary Peacock Trio, and David Virelles

Source: Universal Music Enterprises

August 25 Vijay Iyer Sextet Far From Over Vijay Iyer: piano, fender rhodes; Graham Haynes: cornet, flugelhorn, electronics Steve Lehman: alto saxophone; Mark Shim: tenor saxophone; Stephan Crump: double bass Tyshawn Sorey: drums Keyboardist-composer Vijay Iyer’s energized sequence of ECM releases has garnered copious international praise. Yet his fifth for the label since 2014—Far From Over, featuring his dynamically commanding sextet—finds Iyer reaching a new peak, furthering an artistry that led The Guardian to call him “one of ...

1
Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Vijay Iyer's continuing evolution

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Vijay Iyer's continuing evolution

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, let's peruse some videos featuring pianist Vijay Iyer, who will return with his trio to perform Wednesday, November 30 through Saturday, December 3 at Jazz at the Bistro. Iyer, who last played St. Louis in January 2010 at the Bistro, has become one of the most acclaimed jazz musicians of the last decade, having won DownBeat's “Artist of the Year" award in 2016, 2015 and 2012, plus a whole trophy room's worth of other prizes. One of those ...

“There’s probably no frame wide enough to encompass the creative output of the pianist Vijay Iyer.”  - The New York Times

“Trailblazing… one of his generation’s brightest jazz luminaries” - Time Out New York

“One of the world’s most inventive new-generation jazz pianists” – Guardian (UK)

“[one of] today’s most important pianists... extravagantly gifted... brilliantly eclectic”– The New Yorker

“The Vijay Iyer Trio has the potential to alter the scope, ambition and language of jazz piano forever.” -Jazzwise (UK)

Read more

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Defiant Life

ECM Records
2025

buy

Thereupon

Pi Recordings
2025

buy

Compassion

ECM Records
2024

buy

Uneasy

ECM Records
2021

buy

Brass And Ivory Tales

Fundacja Sluchaj
2021

buy

Lude

From: Accelerando
By Vijay Iyer

The Gulf

From: Orange Afternoons
By Vijay Iyer

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.