Mutations (Vijay Iyer album)

Mutations
Studio album by Vijay Iyer
Released March 4, 2014
Recorded September 2013
Studio Avatar Studios, New York
Genre Jazz
Length 60:13
Label ECM ECM 2372
Producer Manfred Eicher
Vijay Iyer chronology
Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project
(2013)Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project2013		 Mutations
(2014)		 Radhe Radhe: Rites of Holi
(2014)Radhe Radhe: Rites of Holi2014

Mutations is a studio album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer recorded in 2013 and released on the ECM label in 2014.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
All About Jazz[3]
The Guardian[4]
Financial Times[5]
RTÉ.ie[6]
Exclaim!7/10[7]

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars out of 5, stating "Mutations rewards with well-considered, inspired performances".[2] Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman said "Mutations is a landmark recording from an artist who, while already possessing an admirable discography, has clearly been limited to more decidedly jazz-oriented concerns. Representing a significant musical shift, if Mutations is but the first sign of the greater freedom ECM plans to afford Iyer, the only vaticinator of what's to follow will surely be its complete and utter unpredictability".[3] The Guardian review by John Fordham awarded the album 4 stars noting "It's thoughtful, typically original, and unexpectedly very exciting".[4]

Not all reviews were as enthusiastic, with JazzTimes stating that Mutations is a major disappointment. The problem is Iyer’s writing for strings. There is a 10-part suite for string quartet, piano and electronics. The suite is stunningly devoid of the aesthetic and emotional content that makes most people listen to music. Qualities such as lyric discovery, melodic fulfillment and rhythmic engagement are absent".[8]

Track listing

All compositions by Vijay Iyer

  1. "Spellbound and Sacrosanct, Cowrie Shells and the Shimmering Sea" - 7:39
  2. "Vuln, Part 2" - 4:34
  3. "Mutation 1: Air" - 4:12
  4. "Mutation 2: Rise" - 2:44
  5. "Mutation 3: Canon" - 5:47
  6. "Mutation 4: Chain" - 5:25
  7. "Mutation 5: Automata" - 6:32
  8. "Mutation 6: Waves" - 3:00
  9. "Mutation 7: Kernel" - 5:59
  10. "Mutation 8: Clade" - 1:34
  11. "Mutation 9: Descent" - 5:17
  12. "Mutation 10: Time" - 4:00
  13. "When We're Gone" - 3:30

Personnel

  • Vijay Iyer — piano, electronics
  • Michi Wiancko, Miranda Cuckson — violin (tracks 3-12)
  • Kyle Armbrust — viola (tracks 3-12)
  • Kivie Cahn-Lipman — cello (tracks 3-12)

References

  1. ↑ ECM discography accessed September 15, 2014
  2. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Mutations - Vijay Iyer". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
  3. 1 2 Kelman, John (2014-03-10). "Vijay Iyer: Mutations". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
  4. 1 2 Fordham, John (2014-03-07). "Vijay Iyer: Mutations review – Thoughtful, original and exciting jazz". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
  5. ↑ Hobart, Mike (14 March 2014). "Vijay Iyer: Mutations". Financial Times. ft.com. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Kehoe, Paddy (14 May 2014). "Vijay Iyer Mutations". RTE. rte.ie. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Hall, Glen (28 February 2014). "Vijay Iyer Mutations". Exclaim!. exclaim.ca. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Conrad, T., JazzTimes Review, March 2014
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.