Vijay Iyer: "I do try to push myself instead of doing safe things"

When speaking of him, articles title "The Wizard of Jazz", "The inventive Vijay Iyer" or "Iyer is unique in Jazz". His success is worldwide and he is widely acclaimed by music critics. We are pleased to welcome Vijay Iyer for the very first time on December 13 in the Salle de Musique de Chambre. I had the pleasure to have a little chat with him, talking about Luxembourg, his music and a few more other things.

D: Your concert at the Philharmonie will be your third concert in Luxembourg, the second within nine month. Did you ever hear of Luxembourg before your first appearance here back in 2009 and what is your general opinion on our little country?

V.I.:   I've heard of it, of course, and I've been touring all around Europe since 1995.  I was just never invited to Luxembourg before 2009.  Each visit has been very nice.  I admire the aesthetics and the sense of connection to history that I experienced in your country.

D: You use many different social media channels, not only to share information on your music, but also to share your opinion on political issues. A few weeks ago, I read some quite harsh comments on Twitter, written by people who like your music, but do not share your political views. Do you think that more artists should be politically engaged again, even if they polarize and maybe lose fans because of that?

V.I.:   The harsh comments you refer to were all from one person, and nobody else agreed with him - everyone found him ridiculous.  Anyway, I just try to represent my perspective as a person on this planet.  I am aware that a lot of my twitter followers are more aware of my music than of anything else about me, but they don't have to follow me if they don't like what I post there.

Artists are usually politically engaged if it matters to them.  A lot of musicians today are conservatory-trained children of privilege are not particularly affected by political ups and downs.  The most vulnerable are poor people and minorities, and lately you may have seen fewer such people in this area of music.  The other problem is that jazz itself is quite vulnerable, and musicians have little incentive to marginalize themselves any further than they already are by making politicized work or saying things

D:  ...but you keep your political views out of your music, or not?

V.I.:   I think my perspective is readily apparent to anyone who takes the time to hear and read all that I've put out there.

D: Your last album “Solo”, which by the way is your first solo-album, as well as the last one with your trio (“Historicity”) were both widely acclaimed by the music critics. You won the Jazz Journalists Association’s Annual Jazz Award 2010 for Musician of the Year (other laureates are Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter, etc. and for which you were again nominated in 2011, as well as for “Pianist of the Year”), your trio received the 2010 ECHO Award for best international ensemble and the 2010 Downbeat Critics Poll for best small ensemble. How important is this appreciation from both critics and public for you? Does it have any influence on your creative process?

V.I.:   It is a wonderful honor and overall it's been very humbling.  However, it doesn't influence me as an artist.  Mainly, it leads to many more opportunities for us to perform, which is great for us because we really get to evolve and grow as a group, and to truly connect with people in that special way that only happens with live music.

D: On “Solo”, you cover some great classic tunes by Jazz giants Duke Ellington and Thelonius Monk, and also the “King of Pop”.  Is this some kind of tribute you think you have to pay them or is it more a way to help your audience (amongst which are younger people too, who may not know what Ellington, Monk and others did) discover old tracks too (via your interpretation of these tracks)?

V.I.:    I mainly play music that I like or that inspires me in some way.  I am of course deeply influenced by Duke and Monk, and I grew up with Michael Jackson's music.  I don't assume anything about what listeners know or don't know, but I do find it interesting that the meaning of a song is so dependent on their awareness.  I enjoy the way that music can open up those conversations.

D: Let’s imagine time travelling could be possible. Is there a period in Jazz history, you definitely would like to go back? And why?

V.I.:   I'm pretty happy with the time I'm in.  I think that the person I am could only have come to be at the time that I was born.  I would love to meet Monk, or Duke, or Coltrane, or Miles, or Sun Ra, or Charlie Parker, but I also feel very connected to that legacy by being in New York and knowing the artists I do know - like Roy Haynes, Amiri Baraka, Henry Threadgill, and Butch Morris.

D: Do you listen to classical music? What would you respond to (generally younger people) who argue that classical is boring, dusty and music for old people only?

V.I.:   I've listened to classical music since I started playing it on violin as a child.  Nowadays, as a composer I like to hear the ideas and techniques of other composers, and as a pianist and a former violinist I do like to hear great instrumentalists.

I think that the reputation of a genre has to do with its own way of presenting itself, but also with its own priorities. Classical music is generally positioned as music for elite adults, and the system that supports classical music in western Europe and in the U.S. has an elitist attitude.

V.I.:     In the US, at least, jazz has a status far below classical music.  People often think (out of pure ignorance and prejudice) that classical music has profound universal truths, but that jazz is a "connoisseur's music" with nothing to offer the masses.  That's all ideological, of course, and the fact that it's very rare to see or hear it in mainstream media helps to marginalize it.  The fact is that there is a lot of good music, but far more mediocre and bad music, associated with every genre.

Anyway, the fact that there is a worldwide network of jazz festivals, clubs, and concert series, and probably tens of thousands of jazz musicians, suggests that there is enough of an interest for the art to sustain itself, which is the real priority.  It doesn't have to have a huge market share, as long as it has enough resources to thrive.  If we keep comparing it to pop then we threaten what's special about it.

D: In many articles I read expressions like “Iyer is an unrepentant free jazz zealot” or “ Vijay Iyer is unique in jazz” or “Vijay Iyer is one of the most interesting and vital young pianists in jazz today”. What makes you that special? Is it because you like to put yourself at maximum creative risk whenever possible, more than other fellow musicians do?

V.I.:    I don't know if I'm "that special" or if the writers just like to use extreme language.  Anyway I do try to push myself instead of doing safe things - I'm not afraid to sound bad, as long as I sound honest.  I can't speak for other musicians but I will say that the music conservatory mentality has bred a certain kind of perfectionism that can sometimes become a sterilizing force and a distraction from true creative expression.  I didn't go to a conservatory or college jazz program, so I didn't get any of that.

D: Could you name three jazz albums every jazz passionate must have in his collection?

V.I.:   There are a lot of obvious ones, so here are some that are less obvious -

Abbey Lincoln & Hank Jones, When There is Love

Graham Haynes, The Griot's Footsteps

Art Ensemble of Chicago, Fanfare for the Warriors

D:Last question: What’s currently your favourite tune (of any music genre) ?

V.I.: Andrew Hill, "Golden Sunset"

Thank you Vijay for answering our questions.

Didier

If you want to attend Vijay Iyer's concert on December 13, presale starts on November 14. You'll find more information on our website: www.philharmonie.lu

You can also follow Vijay Iyer on Twitter (@vijayiyer), on Facebook and of course visit his website www.vijay-iyer.com