One of the most important of today’s jazz artists, Vijay Iyer, came to The Soraya to supposedly feature his sextet that produced the thrilling Far From Over album from 2017, but instead gave a “two for the price of one” special by weaving in sounds from his equally thrilling trio. The two hour evening had the pianist/composer create a thickly woven tapestry that featured a wide range of colors and textures, with sounds and grooves to satisfy the most passionate acoustic hard bopper to the electronic experimenters in the audience.
Iyer alternated between piano and Fender Rhodes keyboards,opening with on the ivories with a dark solo intro before the horn section of Steve Lehman, Mark Shim and Graham Haynes joined in with a thick complex line of “Into Action” and the rhythm team of drummer Jeremy Dutton and longtime bassist Stephan Crump supplied the tricky and assertive pulse. Shim’s thick tenor sax had a big fat and dark sound that mixed the swagger of a Texas tenor with the adventure of John Coltrane on his solo, while Lehman’s bright alto gave homage to Eric Dolphy’s stratospheric spirals. Haynes mixed his flugelhorn along with electronic effects to give a futuristic sound to his soloing while letting his sweet Kenny Dorham-tinged tone create rich ensemble passages.
The ensemble created a long medley of songs from their album, with the horns delivering themes that were bold, loose and fervent and then giving space for each soloist before stepping away for moments to allow Iyer, Crump and Dutton create some exciting trio work. Iyer’s touch and ideas had a hint of vintage acoustic Herbie Hancock, with sophisticated harmonies and classical clarity.
The rhythm team produced a thick trudge while the horns together floated a sepia mood, and with Iyer on Rhodes teaming with Hayne’s electronically-toned horn, the band felt like vintage Jack Johnson-era Miles Davis on the spacey and plodding “ Nope, while “End of the Tunnel” had Haynes’ horn go into the Klingon Empire with extra terrestrial echoes. A funky “Poles” had the horns jabbing like Floyd Mayweather” while the acoustic trio had Iyer create reflective yet rhapsodic moments on “Threnody” and “For Amiri Baraka.”
The mix and match of moods as a long opus allowed for Iyer to splash rich colors of his palate to the acoustic canvas, with the sounds ebbing and flowing like a collection of waves. By the time the evening was complete, the audience walked away that Iyer’s musical vision, like his latest album, is Far From Over.
Tickets for the 2019-20 season including Luciana Souza, Jason Moran and Lizz Wright with Count Basie’s Orchestra are now on sale