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Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith – a cosmic rhythm with each stroke – ECM

by Audiophile Audition | May 25, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

A trumpet and piano duo project about movement, space and universality. Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith – a cosmic rhythm with each stroke [TrackList follows] ECM 2486, 66:13 [3/25/16] *****: (Wadada Leo Smith – trumpet; Vijay Iyer – piano, Fender Rhodes, electronics) To appreciate the new album by keyboardist Vijay Iyer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, the 66-minute a cosmic rhythm with each stroke, listeners need to go beyond the music. That’s because Smith and Iyer’s inspirations have benignly benefited the three lengthy pieces, including the 50-minute, seven-part, title track suite. The record’s lower-case name (also the title of the long-form suite) comes from a 1969 diary entry by Indian artist Nasreen Mohamedi (1937-1990). Study the EYE SPACE Observe some objects in Different light A cosmic rhythm with Each stroke Sound and vibrations (study) Movement and emptiness Much of the material thus is a reaction to Mohamedi’s artwork, or as Iyer explains, he and Smith shared “a certain understanding, a certain set of governing ideas” after reading Mohamedi’s diary and studying her creative output. This kind of duality, a combined communication, isn’t accidental. Iyer and Smith previously performed in Smith’s Golden Quartet, from 2005 to 2010, and the two […]