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One of the most exciting albums in recent years, marking the emergence of
an important new voice in jazz. Iyer is the rare triple-threat musician
who’s equally accomplished as a player, composer, and bandleader. More
impressively, he’s already established a distinctive style… With the artistic
triumph of this album, Vijay Iyer proves that he’s not just someone to watch.
He’s arrived, fully formed and ready to step out and take center stage. -– Jeff Jackson, Jazziz |
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A gifted pianist with his own distinctive nail-hammering attack, Iyer makes
an equally strong impression in the way he regroups his quartet, micromanaging
each piece with ostinatos and unison phrasing, especially in tandem with
the sanguine saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, all of which says nothing about
how open and entertaining the music is. -- Gary Giddins, “BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2001,” The Village Voice |
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Iyer is an extravagantly gifted new-jazz pianist and a quick-witted composer,
but his greatest strength is his skill as a bandleader. On this captivating
quartet recording, he establishes a lock-tight rapport with his energetic
rhythm section and a cognitive interaction with the alto saxophonist Rudresh
Mahanthappa, another talent to keep a steady eye on. -- Steve Futterman, “BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2001,” The New Yorker |
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…a musical voice to be reckoned with… at once Iyer's most focused and expansive
recording… improvisations that grandly refract the compositional forms through
the individual and collective experiences and imaginations of the players…
the CD's 11 pieces invite the listener to indulge in the pleasure and challenge
of experiencing myriad references and cross-conversations all at once, without
ever feeling overwhelmed by sonic clutter… he sublimates his inspirations
and influences into the kind of brilliantly executed original statements
that refresh jazz as creative and even enlightening music for the 21st century.
-- Derk Richardson, San Francisco Bay Guardian |
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**** (FOUR STARS) With each year, jazz increasingly becomes an international
music, and pianist Iyer's release dramatically underscores the point. Leading
a one-of-a-kind quartet, Iyer--whose heritage is Indian--orchestrates a heady
mix of jazz improvisation, traditional Indian scales and elements of Western
classical composition. The result is a music so rhythmically gripping and
harmonically provocative that one hardly can wait to hear what outlandish
idea these players will hit upon next. On most tracks, Iyer's vast waves
of keyboard sounds inspire alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, whose heaven-storming,
post-Coltrane blasts show more discipline and clarity than ever before… This
recording captures the unit at its best, digging deeply into the musical
terrain where multiple ethnic styles converge. But even apart from its stylistic
breakthroughs, "Panoptic Modes" offers a sensuousness of sound and vividness
of performances that will seduce even the casual listener. -- Howard Reich, The Los Angeles Times |
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Dazzling… Melding Vedic chant and South Indian rhythms with the more obvious
influences of Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, Iyer creates a unique and vibrant
sound, but one that’s highly accessible and solidly within the progressive
end of the jazz spectrum. The most direct comparison that comes to mind is
Randy Weston (high praise indeed) for his deeply spiritual bent, openness
to diverse musical traditions and a strong indebtedness to Monk's piano and
compositional technique… This is a young musician of serious intent and significant
accomplishment whose interests extend far beyond the keyboard. It will be
fascinating to see where his journey leads. -- Joel Roberts, allaboutjazz.com |
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A recording that sends a ripple through the jazz universe... This music
is something very special, assuming you're a fan of modern jazz... Iyer
writes music that is challenging to listen to, but he manages to speak his
message with pristine clarity. He is much more than just a brilliant pianist...
he is an artist who can reach deep into the chasms of human experience and
thrust it out through his piano for all of us to experience with him. Iyer's
world is not a black and white one... it's full of fractal shapes and questions
hanging in the air... Iyer's compositions are cutting edge. He is really taking
music somewhere it hasn't been before, and I feel certain this recording will
be one of great interest to all musical innovators.
-- Blaine Fallis, modernjazz.com |
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previous releases were attempts to integrate the avant-garde, South Asian,
and M-Base concepts that shaped him as a player and composer. On Panoptic
Modes, Iyer continues to do this, but manages to arrive at the next level
in terms of artistic focus and vision. With this new quartet music (three
tracks are trio pieces), he continues to eschew the rhythmically obvious
at all costs. His harmonic and formal concepts are as challenging as ever,
yet his exceedingly difficult writing is rendered oddly accessible by the
unperturbed facility of his band. Highly recommended.
--David Adler, All Music Guide |
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Pianist Iyer hammers out zig-zagging, off-kilter lines that spin your imagination
and leave you dizzy. He’s got big ears for non-Western influences; his jazz
credentials include work with Cecil Taylor, Steve Coleman and Roscoe Mitchell;
and he’s worked in drum ’n’ bass, hip hop and harder-to-peg styles.
An auspicious work. -- W. Kim Heron, Detroit Metro Times |