Customer Reviews

Historicity

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Historicity is the new trio album by the Vijay Iyer trio (Iyer on piano, Stephan Crump on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums.) It is also, in my estimation, the best new jazz release of 2009. The album features 10 tunes and includes covers of such diverse songwriters as Andrew Hill, Stevie Wonder and Julius Hemphill. There are also three originals by Iyer.

The playing on this CD is wonderful - angular, virtuosic, intelligent. This is piano trio music for the 21st century. Just listen for the traces of the beautiful melody in the density of sound that the group achieves on their fantastic cover of Leonard Bernstein's "Somewhere." The Hill number "Smokestack" is nearly as brilliant. I listen to dozens of jazz trio albums each year and while many (if not most) are enjoyable and musically competent, very few really having something new to say. Vijay Iyer's Historicity is one of those albums. Listen and hear for yourself.

The trio, rather than the larger group with Rudresh on tenor, is really the perfect format/foil for Vijay Iyer. This recording is simply stunning, whether youre a fan of extraordinary technique or pure improvisational chops. Just a cursory listen to how Vijay uses a standard like "Somewhere" as a vehicle for melodic and harmonic reinvention is worth the price of this recording. Among the covers here: Juluis Hemphill's Dogon AD and Smokestack which reveals the clear influence of Andrew Hill on Vijay. Simply stunning.

Overview:

When I first heard this was going to be a trio and Rudresh Mahanthappa was not going to be playing on the CD I thought this couldn't possibly be as good as Vijay's recent releases. Vijay and Rudresh have such chemistry ... how could the trio be better? Well it is. It is way better. I love Vijay's prior albums but this one is really special. Prior to this album I never really heard bassist Crump. There was too much else going on. On this format you can really here Marcus Gilmore on drums and Stephen Crump on bass, and they are really good. And Vijay can fill up space like you wouldn't believe. Having no other leads gives Vijay lots of room and he romps all over the place. Two other important things to note about this album: #1 it is very modern and reminds me a bit of E.S.T. #2 This is the first Vijay Iyer album where it truly is a modern postbop album and not a world music/jazz fusion album. There is a tinge of world accent on the remake of Trident, but besides that this could just as easily be a modern Scandanavian trio. While I love the world accent on the previous albums, it is impressive to see Vijay move past something that was successful onto some that is even better.

Song Highlights:

Dogon A.D. - This track is a modern funky romp. Bassist Crump opens with the bow on the bass strings and gets down with it. This really reminds of of E.S.T. ...man i miss them. Dogon A.D. is an album by Julius Hemphill which was released in 1972. Vijay really dug deep in history to find this one. Thank you.

Mystic Brew - Vijay reworked a Ronnie Foster song here. Vijay does these killer staccato appegios that just rock. It's upbeat and pretty and magical.

Galang - very modern tune originaly written by Maya Arulpragasam. Sounds like an electronica sound adapted to jazz.

... All the songs are good. I could write more but you get the point. This is a real gem. Highest recommendation. Absoluely essential for Vijay Iyer fans. The other songs include 4 by Vijay Iyer (2 new, 2 remakes) 1 from West Side Story, 1 by Andrew Hill, and 1 by Stevie Wonder.

I've never quite understood most Jazz, but that doesn't seem to matter with Vijay Iyer. He creates some of the best music to listen to in all situations, background music, driving music, and best of all he truly entertains when I just sit down, close my eyes and listen. While all Vijay Iyer albums are great, this one is definitely the best.

Having seen the Historicity concert on tour, i knew pretty much what to expect in creativity and quality. Great piano poly-rhythmic skills on the part of Vijay Iyer...he is a brilliant artist with a brilliant cast....Marcus Gilmore, a very talented drummer (and grandson of Roy Haynes) and Stephan Crump, a great bass player. I really appreciated 'Galang' (Trio Riot Version), typical of Vijay Iyer's style and talent.

Historicity is without a doubt one of the most unique piano trio albums to come along in quite some time. Vijay Iyer Trio's expansive, worldly, and highly intellectual style is one the they can claim as there own, and it is exemplified the best here. For a while, I was very curious about this music but I had a hard time understanding it on the level that would maximize my appreciation. The moral of the story here is that Historicity requires patience and a A LOT of listening to really comprehend its musical depths. However, careful listening is rewarded with an understanding of this group's telepathic musical connection.

I really wanted to like this album, but I feel that it suffers from the same condition that permeates much of contemporary jazz these day: a lack of strong melodic ideas. Without some degree of well presented melodies, the music on this CD failed to keep my attention. Furthermore, the interplay and groove between the players never really locks-in. Consequently, I often got the feeling that the solos and grooves would meander around without making any clear statements. That being said, the players are good and the rhythm is stable. Overall, I was not as taken with this record as everyone else on the intertubes.

I expected a departure from the normal small group piano performance. And, yes, it is a different piano interpretation. Iyer maintains a high level of interest and expresses thoroughly different ideas.

If somebody wrote a review that simply said, "This is not only the best jazz album of 2009 by miles but also one of the most thrilling, most imaginative trio albums ever committed to record," I'd probably buy the damn thing. So I'm saying it, so buy it.

"Historicity" is Vijay Iyer's trio album, and it got excellent reviews throughout 2009. I think it's as good as everyone says. The songs are in his signature style, which is sort of an Indian-American cousin of Matthew Shipp or Ethan Iverson. His style is somewhat muted since only four of ten songs are originals by Iyer. Some of Andrew Hill peeks out in "Smoke Stack", for instance, and the excellent "Galang" is a recasting of the song but still recognizeable as a pop song. Longtime cohorts Stephen Crump on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums keep the rhythms tight. I suppose only my preference for horns or guitar as the frontline instrument keeps me from giving it five stars. If I could, I'd give this 4 3/4 stars.