APPEARING JANUARY 11 AT BIRDLAND
FOR A SPECIAL MIDNIGHT SHOWCASE:

RAW MATERIALS

Vijay Iyer, piano
Rudresh Mahanthappa, alto saxophone

Saturday night, January 11, 2003 @ Midnight (after Mark Murphy)
BIRDLAND, 315 W. 44th Street btwn. 8th & 9th Ave., NYC
FREE ADMISSION / $10 minimum at tables / Tel 212.581.3080

“Two gifted musicians who speak each other's language... Iyer's spiky chords, precise phrasing, and surprising linear improvisations are consistently compelling, and Mahanthappa reads his mind... Their work together over the past couple of years has displayed a rare cohesiveness. Each man is so assuredly rhythmic and so in tune with the other that you won't miss a rhythm section -- Iyer's percussive piano is rhythm section enough." -- Gary Giddins, Village Voice

On Saturday, January 11, 2003, RAW MATERIALS (the duo of pianist VIJAY IYER and alto saxophonist RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA), will perform excerpts from their jointly composed suite SANGHA: COLLABORATIVE FABLES, commissioned for the duo by the Rockefeller Foundation. The historic jazz club Birdland, in midtown Manhattan, will host this showcase performance in a special midnight set.

Iyer and Mahanthappa have made a dramatic impact on the New York creative music scene by addressing their common South Asian heritage through their fresh, innovative collaborations. Their work together has produced what Gary Giddins calls “some of the most distinctive sounds heard in jazz in the past few years." Drawing from African-American and Indian creative traditions, they have gained recognition from audiences, musicians, and critics alike as world-class improvisors and composers, outspoken young Asian American voices, and important forces in the music world. Since 1996, Iyer and Mahanthappa have performed together in Europe, Asia, and across North America, playing their cutting-edge original music to widespread acclaim around the world.

VIJAY IYER was recently named one of “today's most important pianists" by The New Yorker. He has released three critically acclaimed compact discs of original music; his most recent, Panoptic Modes (2001), was hailed as an “artistic triumph... one of the most exciting albums in recent years" (Jazziz). He has traveled worldwide as a leader, appearing at international festivals with his quartet. He is also a member of the widely praised collaborative trio Fieldwork, AACM pioneer Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory, poet Amiri Baraka's Blue Ark, and Black Rock Coalition co-founder Greg Tate's Burnt Sugar. He has also collaborated extensively with saxophonist Steve Coleman, appearing on numerous world tours and several RCA recordings. In addition he has joined forces with cutting-edge creative artists such as Butch Morris, Cecil Taylor, Graham Haynes, George Lewis, John Tchicai, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Miya Masaoka, drum & bass diva Imani Uzuri, and poet/hip hop artist Mike Ladd.

“A composer and performer of international significance" - San Francisco Chronicle
“captivating... an extravagantly gifted new-jazz pianist and a quick-witted composer" - The New Yorker
“[One of] the new stars of jazz... Superior skills, uncommon versatility, a definite vision."
- U.S. News & World Report

RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA has drawn attention as one of the most innovative young musicians on the New York jazz scene, fusing his various cultural influences to create a truly unique saxophone style. His two albums as a leader, Yatra (1996) and Black Water (2002) have received unanimous rave reviews. He has performed alongside such luminaries as David Murray, Steve Coleman, Jack DeJohnette, Harry “Sweets" Edison, Von Freeman, George Garzone, Tim Hagans, David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Clark Terry. He has performed at international jazz festivals in Mumbai, Chicago, Paris, Jamaica, Toledo, Flint, and the Sangres. Rudresh has a Bachelors in jazz performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston and a Masters in jazz composition from Chicago's DePaul University. He has received grants from American Composers Forum and New York State Council on the Arts.

“Mahanthappa's chops are practically unparalleled... This kind of elevation and refinement are not simply a cut above the norm; they arguably redefine the norm." - allaboutjazz.com
“compelling and fiercely individualistic... a player with a great deal to say" - The Chicago Tribune
“Definitely one of the strongest voices on the jazz scene." - All Music Guide

RAW MATERIALS, the Iyer-Mahanthappa duo project, engages the listener with intelligent melodies and harmonies combined with wonderfully layered rhythms, epitomizing new jazz at its best. Their ongoing musical collaboration showcases their strong creative alliance, their common perspectives and contrasting dispositions. The duo recently had a performance recorded and broadcast on Swiss Radio, premiered an evening-length work commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, and performed at international festivals in Strasbourg, San Francisco, and Seattle; their next stops are Perth, Melbourne, and the recording studio.

“a highlight of the [Earshot Jazz] festival... dynamic, logical and beautiful" - Paul De Barros, The Seattle Times
“They effortlessly traverse traditions, their materials repeatedly coiling with the tensions of Indian scales and unraveling with forward rhythmic motion... Iyer and Mahanthappa create compelling music." - Bill Shoemaker, JazzTimes
“Mr. Iyer, a hard-driving vamp pianist with high concepts uniting funk, Indian rhythms, and free jazz, and Mr. Mahanthappa, an alto player with a tone like iron, have recently been making their names playing tough, rhythmically complicated, challenging music." - Ben Ratliff, The New York Times
“Call it fire-music for brain trusts... two South Asian wizards brandishing swing, swordplay, and syllogisms." - Greg Tate, Village Voice
“...vital new jazz provocateurs with fresh ideas" - The New Yorker