Artistry, Creativity, and Inquiry (LHUM-100-2F)Instructor: Jeff ClaassenAssignment: Interview Project EssayBy: Calvin Limuel (#0730506)

An Interview with Vijay Iyer

Im very grateful to have an opportunity to interview an accomplished Jazz musician, Vijay Iyer, while keeping ourselves at our homes from the expected Hurricane Sandy hitting New England. Multiple awards have been given to this man. He was named Musician of the Year 2010 by the Jazz Journalists Association, also recently Pianist of the Year at the same event this year. He was also chosen to be of the inaugural recipients of the Doris Duke Artist award, alongside some other veteran musicians. His album Historicity with his trio has been awarded Best Jazz Album in 2010 Grammy Award, and in the German Grammy 2012 Echo Award. Also recently he has been honored in five categories of the 2012 Down Beat International Critics Poll, conducted by a highly acclaimed music magazine. His first encounter to Jazz music was in high school and jam sessions, then in his 20s found himself collaborating with widely known musicians such as Steve Coleman and George Lewis. Until this date he has collaborated with numerous musicians like Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith. He reveals that he is also open to work outside Jazz music by collaborating with hip hop artists such as DJ Spooky, Das Racist, dead prez, also spoken words with Amiri Baraka and Mike Ladd.As a musician, Vijay Iyer places himself as someone who makes music, composes, plays other peoples music, perform, leads a band, and collaborates with other people. Before that he was on his way to be a scientist but then left to pursue his musical career. That had been a challenge for him because he was one of the first known Indian immigrants descendant to have chosen to be an artist. As an Indian descendant, he has been exposed to Indian music since childhood and when he was in his 20s, he decided to try to understand more about Indian music, come to terms with it, particularly Carnatic (Southern Indian) music. Upon understanding this particular part of his culture, he studied a lot, read a lot, and collaborated with a lot Carnatic music artist, most notably Rudresh Mananthappa, who is also a frequent collaborator. Im not an expert but it has affected me [in terms of] rhythmic, melodic, combinatorial technique, he said.When composing or arranging music, Vijay Iyer said he adapts his writing style by considering the situation of whom he will be working with. But Im trying to try more to go beyond what I know, try something more, so that we can grow more, to lead them to something they can do, to challenge them. He told that one way to do that for him is to deal with some compositional techniques, and often is to take me out from my own piano language. This I think is best exemplified in his record Tirtha with Indian musician Prasanna and Nitin Mitta, which is an approach to explore the music of his heritage. And as far we know, not all people likes Jazz, not all people like the freedom and complexity in Jazz, and prefer to listen to more easy listening music and pop music produced by electric or synthesized instruments and machines. But Vijay Iyer doesnt seem to be bothered by that fact. Not everybody likes to listen everything. There are some things that they dont like, but doesnt mean that they dont mean anything. Upon seeing the music industry in the future, Vijay Iyer stated that he has no idea. Thats a pretty big question. I think we should all create music that we believe in, that we like. Not the competition, but whether it can preserve through time. And he added, As an artist in the world for me, life is not just about selling records.For growing artists, there must be times that you feel like you can do something you like, or just simply do something to make a living. But he responded that surviving isnt the same thing as being alive. He told that he had been to the same thing, as theres no other people in his family who is also an artist. Thats a huge risk, and it doesnt end. Art is a constant risk. Finding us in the situation is not easy for everybody.And he seems to enjoy taking those risks in doing what he loves: music. He still has many fresh, new and ongoing projects. With poet Mike Ladd he had just premiered a large project, which is based on dreams of young American soldiers. And these days he has been composing for chamber ensembles, like Yo Yo Mas Silk Road Ensemble and Brooklyn Rider String Quartet. He is also working on a larger project for Prashant Bhargavas new film titled Radhe, Radhe: Rites of Holi, commissioned for the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Igor Stravinskys Le Sacr du Printemps.In closing, Vijay Iyer delived his message to all the young people out there, either starting their own career in music or still thinking about it. Do what you love. Find a way to make it work. Keep challenging yourselves, and never stop growing and discovering new things.

Calvin LimuelOctober 29, 2012