Liner Notes For Vijay Iyer's MEMOROPHILIA
I was born on October 26, 1971 and raised in upstate New York by my
South Indian immigrant parents. Thanks to their guidance and patience, I
began violin lessons at the tender age of three. At some later time -- I
can't say when, exactly -- I started trying to use the piano to express
myself. I learned slowly and gradually, by listening to the radio, trying
to mimic what I liked, and learning some basic harmony along the way. Autodidacticism
plays a key role in the history of the African-American music known as "jazz,"
and, inevitably, in my teens I gravitated towards that history.
And just as inevitably, I found myself most attracted to music that lay
outside of conventional teachings: Ellington, Monk, Cecil Taylor, and other
artists in the Pantheon (see below). As a person of color in America, I
identified readily with their revolutionary forms of self -expression.
To my ears, these artists possess a certain "cry," an incisive,
ironic stance with respect to conventional musical forms, practices, and
discourses. Often supporting and enriching this approach is a critical sociopolitical
outlook, a desire to change the world, that many artists of
color cannot help but share. This dimension carries utmost importance for
me, and it ought to be heeded generally as a musical reality -- as a governing
concept in the "jazz tradition." It is for this reason that I
feel strongly about allying myself with the redoubtable forces of the musician-run
Asian Improv Records label; the creativity of such venerable artists as
Jon Jang, Francis Wong, Glenn Horiuchi, Mark Izu, and Miya Masaoka has that
impassioned "cry" at its core. I am honored to join their ranks
with my debut release.
Like many of the Asian Improv artists, I have cultivated an interest in
the music of my cultural heritage -- in my case, South Indian classical
(Carnatic) music -- in order to connect with my ancestry and ground my own
creativity. I also try to understand and pay homage to the African
roots of jazz, the significance of which cannot be emphasized enough. Both
of these efforts draw inspiration in part from the Afrocentrism of jazz
musicians such as Sun Ra, Randy Weston, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and
John Coltrane, and from the political music of Jang, Max Roach, and Charles
Mingus.
In my music, both Carnatic and African elements occur in coded or mediated
form, to acknowledge the barriers of history and language that fall between
those cultures and my own American frame of reference. Crucial to much of
my music is the notion of rhythmic progression, which has origins in Africa,
India, and undoubtedly elsewhere as well -- and which readily supports multiple
readings, compound states of awareness, internal dialogues, and decentered
musical spaces. My harmonic language strives to reemphasize these ideas
and to articulate the physical fundamentals of sound. In any case I endeavor
to make music that pleases me; exactly what that means depends on the specifics
of my worldview, and on the forces that shape it.
This recording is graced by the presence of two friends and mentors of mine
who happen to be geniuses of modern music. Saxophonist, composer, and musical
pioneer Steve Coleman has led the creative
movement known as M-BASE (Macro-Basic Array of Structured Extemporization)
since its inception and is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest
improvisors. Trombonist, composer, improvisor, installation artist, and
philosopher George
Lewis is a visionary in the field of computer music, a U.C. San Diego
music professor, and an important member of the AACM (Association for the
Advancement of Creative Musicians). Both of them have initiated momentous
changes in my life and thought. I give them my unmitigated gratitude, not
just for helping me with this project, but for being so generous with their
knowledge and time and for taking an interest in my life's direction. It
is significant that this project brings together the AACM, M-BASE, and
Asian Improv Arts creative movements -- revolutionary, artist-run organizations
that seek self-sufficiency, empowerment, and unity through music.
With this collection, I attempt to document my current activities as thoroughly
as possible. Since I work in the realm of performance-oriented, improvised
music, there are no overdubs or edits on this recording; you hear only "live"
performances, captured in the studio. The variety of musical situations
presented here reflects the variety of creative music in the Oakland-San
Francisco Bay Area. THE VIJAY IYER TRIO (bassist Jeff Brock, drummer Brad
Hargreaves, and myself) has served as a laboratory for my often clumsy ideas
since the summer of 1994. Jeff, who has fallen prey to my whims since 1989,
has managed against all odds to juggle music, math, and marriage successfully.
Brad is a strong player who has been extremely committed, patient, and quick
about learning and expanding the music. I have never worked with more dedicated,
sensitive, or respectful musicians than these. We have grown and learned
a tremendous amount together. This project only begins to document the trio
repertoire; you'll be hearing more from us!
I brought together the members of POISONOUS PROPHETS solely for the recording
of Peripatetics, but such sparks flew (if I may say so) that we've turned
it into a regular unit. Bassist Jeff Bilmes is an extremely thoughtful musician,
a master of rhythmic subtlety, and, most
importantly, a great cook. Elliot Humberto Kavee, besides ranking among
the best and most in-demand drummers in the Bay Area, possesses tremendous
musical and extra- musical sensitivity and a relentless sense of humor.
And my good friend Liberty "... or give me death" Ellman stands
out in our generation as a guitarist with boundless creativity, artistry,
sincerity, and positive energy.
In March & Epilogue and Segment for Sentiment #2 , SPIRIT COMPLEX navigates
the sonic terrain that I used to seek with the group Sonocentric Ensemble,
an improvising collective co- led by saxophonist Lee Yen and myself. These
two tracks boast the unmistakably monstrous tenor saxophone of the great
Francis Wong, who occupies a role of great historic al significance as one
of the original instigators behind Asian Improv Arts, and as its current
president. It also features the charisma and drive of cellist, bassist,
composer, luthier, and Sun Ra Arkestra alumnus Kash Killion, who's always
involved in dozens of great projects, from the Delta Blues to the outer
realms. I am indebted to this quintet, especially to George, for their painstaking
care in helping to transform my eight-bar sketch for Segment for Sentiment
#2 into the beautiful jewel that it became. Since we recorded on August
6, 1995, it was clear to me that the weight of history was upon us -- hence
the
dedication.
It was only a few short months ago that Francis pulled me aside and suggested
that it was a good time for me to make a record. I had a well-rehearsed
trio, a nice bunch of tunes, lots of great musicians on my side, and even
some public recognition; it would have been a mistake to let the moment
slip away. Some sleepless nights and crushing debts later, I can say without
hesitation that Francis was right! I have been incredibly fortunate to have
the resources and support to realize this project. Enjoy, and thanks for
listening.
Vijay Iyer
September 1995
Berkeley, California
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