Vijay Iyer

Dubbed one of the "new stars of jazz" by U.S. News & World Report, and one of "today's most important pianists" by The New Yorker, VIJAY IYER [pronounced "VID-jay EYE-yur"] is a forceful, rhythmically invigorating performer who weds a cutting-edge sensibility to a unique sense for compositional balance. Recently in the Village Voice, Gary Giddins described him as "one of the most original and accomplished young pianists in years... Iyer's percussive yet supple keyboard touch is something to marvel at." An exceptional, forward-thinking composer, Iyer draws from African, Asian, and European musical lineages to create fresh, original music in the American creative tradition. His music strikes you as both emotionally expressive and structurally sophisticated, with exuberant improvisations anchored in cyclical rhythmic structures and ringing harmonies. In 2003 he received the Alpert Award in the Arts, a prestigious year-long fellowship to support his innovative, compelling work. In 2004 he was named Up & Coming Musician of the Year in the Eighth Annual Jazz Awards, and in 2003, 2004, and 2005 he placed near the top of the Downbeat magazine international critics' poll in the categories of rising star pianist, rising star composer, and rising star jazz artist.

The son of Indian immigrants, Iyer was born and raised in upstate New York, where he started violin lessons at the age of three. Soon he was drawn to his sister's piano, where he began picking out melodies at age six. Entirely self-taught as a pianist and composer, he was lured into jazz in his teens, performing original music with his own groups throughout college. His choice of a professional musical career came rather late, after earning a Masters in physics at age 22. Then, as his musical accomplishments multiplied, he still managed to earn an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in music and cognitive science at U.C. Berkeley in 1998. During his pivotal seven years in the Bay Area, he forged key alliances with artists such as Steve Coleman, George Lewis, David Wessel, Miya Masaoka, Liberty Ellman, Imani Uzuri, Elliot Humberto Kavee, Aaron Stewart, and Rudresh Mahanthappa, and he released his first two albums on the pioneering Asian-American creative music label, Asian Improv. In December 1998 he moved to New York City, where he currently resides.