VIJAY IYER / LINDA MAY HAN OH / TYSHAWN SOREY - Uneasy
ECM 352 0696
Vijay Iyer (piano); Linda May Han Oh (bass); Tyshawn Sorey (drums)
The evolution of the trio, it used to be called the piano trio, has reached a new phase. This trio is beyond Evans/Motian/LaFaro. Iyer, Sorey and Oh are working with different mind sets. This is ‘woke’ music suffused with an awareness jazz. It is as aware as Billy Holiday’s Strange Fruit. Many musicians have felt ‘uneasy’ without being able to identify and articulate the causes of their feelings, probably Bill Evans felt uneasy for most of his life. The uneasiness that underlies this album is part of our times. The title ‘Children of Flint’ is about the dreadful catastrophe that has affected the township of Flint Michigan where children have been poisoned by the lead polluted water supply in the area. Between 6,000 and 12,000 children were exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead. Themes like that go well beyond the standards that were the staple of piano trios.
‘Combat Breathing,’ was written by Iyer after the death of Eric Garner in 2014, which was one of the events that created Black Lives Matter. Garner was killed in a police chokehold for the offence of selling single cigarettes. Originally, the piece was performed with a dance troupe with a ‘die-in’ onstage.
Iyer has a deep knowledge of jazz traditions. One of this favourite piano trios is the one formed with Ellington, Mingus and Roach for the ‘Money Jungle’ album. ‘Drummer’s Song’ is a complex piece by Geri Allen one of Iyer’s influences. The inspiration behind ‘Night and Day’ comes from the Joe Henderson and McCoy Tyner version of the song.
Iyer has written most of the themes on ‘Uneasy’ and it is his thoughts and philosophy that animates the album. Iyer points out that the album came together ‘under the conditions of the hell that was 2020’.
The cohesive trio is united both musically and politically: it is that unity that gives the music of the trio extra vitality. The three musicians first came together as a trio at the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music in Alberta, Canada. Iyer and Sorey are directors at the workshop, and Oh has taught bass there. From the start they worked as co-equals. Sorey described the trio as ‘three people but one organism’.
The album cover image is of the Statue of Liberty. Iyer commented: ‘This one is a distant image of the Statue of Liberty, not as this looming prideful symbol but as almost what looks like this rejected figure’. He points to the fact that ‘France had offered the statue to the United States in celebration of the end of slavery.’
Ultimately the album is a musical offering and, looked at in that way, it is a substantial addition to the history of the piano trio. The melody of ‘Touba’ has a rolling rhythm decorated by the clear bass line from Oh which heaves and sings. ‘Drummer’s Song’ is a shapely tune and the arrangement integrates the lines of the melody until Sorey joins and solos under Iyer with repetitious figures. ‘Augury’ has a Debussy like feel with ringing descending notes. Oh’s skills are called for in ‘Configuration’ with its strolling rhythm.
An important feature of the music is the fluid way that rhythm can change almost imperceptibly. ‘Uneasy’ starts slowly and quietly with Iyer’s repetitions. When the rhythm changes, Iyer moves quickly while Oh supports the structure and Sory underpins the drive.
Iyer recently observed that: ‘I also know that the reason we're on this planet as individuals is to express and reflect the moment we're in’. The trio impressively realises that thought both socially and musically.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
ECM 352 0696
Vijay Iyer (piano); Linda May Han Oh (bass); Tyshawn Sorey (drums)
The evolution of the trio, it used to be called the piano trio, has reached a new phase. This trio is beyond Evans/Motian/LaFaro. Iyer, Sorey and Oh are working with different mind sets. This is ‘woke’ music suffused with an awareness jazz. It is as aware as Billy Holiday’s Strange Fruit. Many musicians have felt ‘uneasy’ without being able to identify and articulate the causes of their feelings, probably Bill Evans felt uneasy for most of his life. The uneasiness that underlies this album is part of our times. The title ‘Children of Flint’ is about the dreadful catastrophe that has affected the township of Flint Michigan where children have been poisoned by the lead polluted water supply in the area. Between 6,000 and 12,000 children were exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead. Themes like that go well beyond the standards that were the staple of piano trios.
‘Combat Breathing,’ was written by Iyer after the death of Eric Garner in 2014, which was one of the events that created Black Lives Matter. Garner was killed in a police chokehold for the offence of selling single cigarettes. Originally, the piece was performed with a dance troupe with a ‘die-in’ onstage.
Iyer has a deep knowledge of jazz traditions. One of this favourite piano trios is the one formed with Ellington, Mingus and Roach for the ‘Money Jungle’ album. ‘Drummer’s Song’ is a complex piece by Geri Allen one of Iyer’s influences. The inspiration behind ‘Night and Day’ comes from the Joe Henderson and McCoy Tyner version of the song.
Iyer has written most of the themes on ‘Uneasy’ and it is his thoughts and philosophy that animates the album. Iyer points out that the album came together ‘under the conditions of the hell that was 2020’.
The cohesive trio is united both musically and politically: it is that unity that gives the music of the trio extra vitality. The three musicians first came together as a trio at the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music in Alberta, Canada. Iyer and Sorey are directors at the workshop, and Oh has taught bass there. From the start they worked as co-equals. Sorey described the trio as ‘three people but one organism’.
The album cover image is of the Statue of Liberty. Iyer commented: ‘This one is a distant image of the Statue of Liberty, not as this looming prideful symbol but as almost what looks like this rejected figure’. He points to the fact that ‘France had offered the statue to the United States in celebration of the end of slavery.’
Ultimately the album is a musical offering and, looked at in that way, it is a substantial addition to the history of the piano trio. The melody of ‘Touba’ has a rolling rhythm decorated by the clear bass line from Oh which heaves and sings. ‘Drummer’s Song’ is a shapely tune and the arrangement integrates the lines of the melody until Sorey joins and solos under Iyer with repetitious figures. ‘Augury’ has a Debussy like feel with ringing descending notes. Oh’s skills are called for in ‘Configuration’ with its strolling rhythm.
An important feature of the music is the fluid way that rhythm can change almost imperceptibly. ‘Uneasy’ starts slowly and quietly with Iyer’s repetitions. When the rhythm changes, Iyer moves quickly while Oh supports the structure and Sory underpins the drive.
Iyer recently observed that: ‘I also know that the reason we're on this planet as individuals is to express and reflect the moment we're in’. The trio impressively realises that thought both socially and musically.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
