VIJAY IYER — Memorophilia (review)

VIJAY IYER — Memorophilia album cover Album · 1995 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
snobb
Albany-born son of Indian Tamil immigrants, Vijay Iyer is with no doubt one of the most celebrated jazz pianists of mid-generation. Starting from the beginning of a New Millennium, his music attracts lot of attention from music critics and listeners both. His early works are less known, and them as a rule have their moments.

"Memorophilia", released in 1994, is Iyer's debut as leader. It was recorded in studio with three different bands, and contains one solo piano track as well. Five of the nine songs come from an all-acoustic trio with bassist Jeff Brock and drummer Brad Hargreaves. The trio's groovy, barenaked songs work pretty well, the album's opener "Relativist's Waltz", recorded by the trio with participation from M-Bass ideologist sax player Steve Coleman, is absolute killer (Coleman participates on one more trio song, "Off The Top", as well).

Two of the album's songs come from Spirit Complex - a more abstract sounding quintet, containing one of the AAMC leaders in trombonist George Lewis and Asian Improv label owner tenor Francis Wong. Both pieces are much freer, than those recorded by the trio, with a lot of trombone improvisation and screaming sax soloing. Poisonous Prophets is a quartet, including the same drummer as Spirit Complex (Elliot Humberto Kavee) and renown electric guitarist Liberty Ellman, among others. The quartet's song is an electric funk with obvious M-Base touch. Iyer's solo piano piece - "Algebra" - is a quite complex blues-based composition.

Compiled with musical compositions of quite different aesthetic, "Memorophilia" sounds surprisingly well as a whole album. Even if on some compositions, the more experienced musicians leave Iyer a bit in a shade, this album is an interesting evidence where from Iyer's current music roots are coming.
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