Released May 2006 — Catalog #Pi902

Reimagining, the Vijay Iyer Quartet’s 2005 release originally on Savoy Jazz is now available in Europe from Pi Recordings. The follow-up to Blood Sutra (Pi 901), the CD features featuring nine powerful new originals music for his quartet – Vijay Iyer, piano; Rudresh Mahanthappa, alto saxophone; Stephan Crump, bass; Marcus Gilmore, drums (Roy Haynes’ grandson making his recording debut) - capped off with a radical solo piano interpretation of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” The CD balances rapturous emotion and knotty intellect, melodic flow and rhythmic heft. As usual, Iyer works here with his alter-ego Mahanthappa. Having played together for over ten years in each other’s respective quartets and their duo project Raw Materials, Mahanthappa is certainly the only horn player who has completely internalized Iyer’s aesthetic. Together they navigate Iyer’s complex compositions with disarming ease. Unlike many lyrically minded young pianists, Iyer is unafraid to attack the keys, but his percussive approach, marked by antic unfurling chords is shaded by mastery of touch. With Crumb and Gilmore establishing dense force fields, Iyer moves seamlessly from modal patterns to swing effects to subtle funk figures. Another great release from one of the finest bands in jazz today.