Tragicomic

2008’s Tragicomic gives the listener a good idea of the breadth of pianist and composer Vijay Iyer's activities. Four tracks are from the suite, Tragicomic, which was commissioned by Chamber Music America, and a couple of cuts are from his score to Rachel Dickstein and Ripe Time’s theater/dance piece, Betrothed. He covers Bud Powell’s “Comin’ Up” and plays solo on the Mickey Leonard standard, “I’m All Smiles.” One piece is attributed to Iyer and his telepathic band — alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, bassist Stephan Crump, and drummer Marcus Gilmore — and there are three other Iyer originals. The musicians draw from several sources, with bop, John Coltrane, Indian music, Latin touches and other elements coming into play. The edgy “Macaca Please” sounds like a seamless fusion of Indian music and angular jazz-rock, while Iyer’s solo version of “I’m All Smiles” displays an unusual touch at the keyboard. Tragicomic closes strongly with “Becoming,” a piece for piano trio that evokes the spiritual and oceanic sound of A Love Supreme-period Coltrane.