Desi Making Waves

By Elaine G. Flores

Visionary Vijay

Composer Iyer: A Master of Arts and Science

New York-based pianist and composer Vijay Iyer has been described as a "rising star" on the jazz music scene. The Village Voice hailed him as "the most commanding pianist and composer to emerge in recent years." The New Yorker says that Iyer is among "today’s most important pianists." He has toured worldwide and was also chosen as one of nine "Revolutionary Minds" in the science magazine, Seed. His research in music cognition has been featured on the radio program, This Week in Science. As you can imagine, Iyer has a packed schedule, but he made time for us to discuss his music.

I don't even know where to start because you have such an unusual story. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Rochester, New York, then I spent time on both coasts before settling here in New York.

How did you discover jazz? When did it move you?
I grew up playing classical violin. I started when I was very young—when I was three years old. We had a piano in the house because my sister, who is older than I am, was taking piano lessons, and I just started improvising on her piano when I was little, but that was just for fun and I didn't mean anything by it. I was just curious about what that instrument could do, and it was satisfying. Unlike most instruments, you can walk up to it and start making sound. That's not the case with a trumpet or a violin or any other instrument where you have to spend a lot of time learning how to make a sound. It's exploration and just experimenting and screwing around, as children do. When I went to high school, my school had a jazz ensemble. I'd been playing in a bunch of different contexts, mainly violin, but I'd been playing piano and keyboard in a rock band.

What kind of rock?
Oh, just dumb. It was the '80s ... It was basically what you might expect.

Are we talking Wang Chung?
It was a combination of things. It was a pretty bizarre mix of things. Everybody in the band was into different things. The drummer was into metal, real fast, like Rush and things like that. The guitarist was really into Hendrix and I was really into Prince. Another guy was really into The Police. It was bizarre.

What was the name of the group?
You know, it had so many different names. One name I remember was The Effect. But The Effect of what, I don't really know. Eventually, I kind of zeroed in on more challenging endeavors musically. I really wanted to be in the jazz ensemble in our high school, but I didn't know anything about it. I started seeking it out—that was back when public libraries had records. I started checking out a lot of the jazz collection in our local library and I took about three lessons with somebody to learn the basics. There were also some things at Eastman School of Music, which is in Rochester.

Which jazz artists inspired you early on?
I started early on digesting the modern, household names in jazz: Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, but eventually through Miles Davis and Charlie Parker—that led to Thelonious Monk, and that was a lightning bolt. It was very distinct and idiosyncratic and powerful. There was a film that came out in the late '80s called Straight No Chaser. It was a documentary and it portrayed him in a slightly loopy light, I think, but there was a lot of great performance footage that really hit home for me, especially having had this very organic and almost accidental relationship with the piano. Seeing somebody enact such a similar kind of relationship with such grace and power was really inspiring to me. Everything he did had such a depth and such clarity; it was really electrifying. That set me on the path toward thinking about composition and creating my own music. When I was in college [at Yale], 18 or so, I started writing more in earnest.

You have a BS in Mathematics and Physics. What were you planning on doing? I'm taking it you didn't plan on being a professional jazz artist?
No, that didn't seem like a viable thing, and, in fact, I would argue that it isn't. Every musician I see—including myself—who is able to make a living doing this, I find it slightly miraculous. I really wouldn't wish it on anyone else. It can be a drag and it's also terrifying at times, but it's inspiring to have music in your life and also to make that the center of your life.

How would you describe your music in one word?
Oh, that's a hard one. I'd say “hybrid” and “alive.”

You're pretty accomplished in the sciences also. You were named one of nine "Revolutionary Minds" by Seed magazine.
I was initially in the Physics PhD program at Berkeley. It's sort of funny that I thought that was more viable than being a musician. It was a very difficult time for science funding and academia, so it wasn't necessarily going to pan out.

Maybe you really just like to do things the hard way?
It's starting to look that way, isn't it? Right when I got to the Bay Area, as a musician, I hit the ground running. I had all this momentum that I'd never experienced before.

You have a song called “Macaca Please.” Tell me about that.
I think everyone knows what that's referring to. It was Senator George Allen of Virginia, two years ago. He was definitely taken down; he lost that election. Many Republicans lost that election, and it was largely credited to that YouTube video. The kid [S.R. Sidarth] that he was referring to, who was holding the camera at the time, was actually a friend of my family. I've actually met him a few times. We've spent Thanksgiving together and stuff like that. To see that play out was really stunning. I kind of took delight in the fact that that video went so viral that it took down Republicans. It was a particular vindication. I think what we're waking up to is there's a better part of America that doesn't tolerate that kind of thinking. I use music as a form of discourse. It's not something that just sits there in the background so you can have a nice meal. It's my chance to actually express a point of view.

For more on Vijay Iyer, visit: www.vijay-iyer.com.

Back to Top